Houston Rockets: Evaluating How Jabari Smith Jr. Can Improve

Selected at No. 3 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, forward Jabari Smith Jr. has long been an important part of the Rockets rotation. And as the team moves into contention, that will remain true.

Smith has been picked as a player to have a big offseason by many, especially since he hasn’t quite lived up to the high standards set for him as a top-three pick.

But what will getting better actually entail for the incoming fourth-year forward? Below, we’ll evaluate three concrete ways Smith Jr. could actually improve on his game next season:

Raise his Efficiency

Smith has put up respectable career shooting splits through three seasons: 43% overall and 34% from three on nearly five attempts. His Year 3 stats were just slightly higher than both of those, helping the Rockets surge to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Still, for a player of his caliber, he’ll be expected to improve those next season, especially with added fire-power. In adding Kevin Durant, Houston now has one of the best scorers in the league, which should take pressure off everyone else, including Smith if they see the court together.

Michael Pina[@MichaelVPina] pick for comeback player of the year: Jabari Smith Jr

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Thoughts?#Rockets #Liftoff Here's why👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/80jA8eFk6s
— Chris Gorman (@GormanChristoph) August 29, 2025

The goal would likely be for Smith to raise his overall shooting percentage to around fifty, and his ranged shooting number to about forty. Though improvement in any capacity in those two areas would be welcome.

Protect the Rim

Smith has been an especially strong defender through his career, offering Houston length and instinctual play on that end that’s helped in the frontcourt.

While the team’s new center rotation of Alperen Sengun, Steven Adams and the added Clint Capela is great, it’s not a defensive-minded unit. Meaning Smith could be looked to for support.

Furthering his ability to help block shots and protect the rim on the weak-side would be a massive boost for the Rockets next season.

Tighten the Handle

Handling the ball has always been Smith Jr.’s biggest weakness, even dating back to his pre-draft process. He’s tall and athletic, can defend, hit shots and more. But his lack of ball-handling has made it tough for him to access all parts of the court, or really add to his offensive game.

Jabari Smith Jr in the lab working on his handles 👀 #LiftOff pic.twitter.com/rJur1m1LbL
— KNAWTNINE (@knawtnine) July 26, 2025

Due to this, he’s been somewhat relegated to a role player at the pro level, scoring in transition, hitting open catch-and-shoot threes and playing stingy defense.

There’s no real way to project a player getting better at handling the ball. It comes with a mix of simply working on it and some luck. But if Smith Jr. truly can improve to the point of slicing down the lane with the ball in-hand, or adding even more tough jumpers to his arsenal with dribble moves, that would likely put him into the star tier.