Houston Rockets: Jabari Smith Jr. Still a Key Piece Moving Forward

The Houston Rockets have been on a roll as of late, winning seven of their last 10 games, including wins against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets. During this hot stretch and almost all of January, they have been without forward Jabari Smith Jr., who prior to his injury, was the automatic start for Houston at the power forward position.

During his absence, forward Amen Thompson has taken his game to the next level, averaging around 19 points and 11 rebounds in January, making it difficult for him to be replaced in the starting five once Smith returns.

Over the month of January, Amen Thompson averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.4 blocks

He’s catapulted himself towards stardom and has been the team’s best player this month

And he’s still just scratching the surface pic.twitter.com/LgiGb9dgHG
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) February 1, 2025

Although Smith may have lost his spot in the starting lineup with the emergence of Thompson, he will still be a key contributor for the Rockets as a switchable big who can solve many of the issues the team has had in his absence.

Smith has been a wild card so far in his career for Houston. He's had stretches where he can't buy a bucket from deep, which was highlighted early on in the season, but he's also had stretches where he's been one of the team's top shooters. One aspect of his game that his stayed consistent though, has been his impact on the defensive end and his ability to guard one through five.

The lengthy forward gives the Rockets a unique opportunity to "play small" while also being a force around the painted area. During his absence, Houston has had veteran Steven Adams play a larger role coming off the bench, but he has had trouble guarding bigs that can shoot the three ball efficiently.

Smith could take that issue away with the unique quickness he has at his 6-foot-10 frame and 7-foot-1 wingspan. But defense isn't the only positive that comes with his return.

Smith could also unleash an offense the Rockets have not been able to run most of this season. A full, five-wide offense where Houston can attack from the three-point line with Smith running the five while having an empty paint where Jalen Green and Thompson flourish.

Green and Thompson have shown that when there's limited backside help from defenses, they can pick teams apart when they're running full speed to the basket. It's very similar to what the Celtics run where they have five players who are capable of hitting threes at an average to above average clip that makes it very tough to guard both the paint and the three-point line.

Smith can bring that flexibility to the Rockets once he returns, and can help improve the offense more than it already has in his absence.

Houston is a deep team, and head coach Ime Udoka has shown that he's willing to adjust and give players opportunities to show their value to the squad. With his unique build and what he can provide, there is definitely room for Smith Jr. to have a role, and quite a significant one, as the Rockets look to make a deep run come postseason time.

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