Jabari Smith Jr. thinks each of the young Houston Rockets brings something unique to the table, and the addition of Kevin Durant will give him the blueprint for future success.
After finishing with the second-best record in the Western Conference and then losing to the Golden State Warriors in the first round, it was clear that the Houston Rockets were close to competing for a title, but they were still a piece away.
This summer, they made the biggest move of the offseason, trading Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the tenth overall pick in exchange for Kevin Durant.
While Durant is expected to help the Rockets take a leap, the young core already in place has supreme belief in themselves.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesJabari Smith Jr. praises ‘intriguing’ teammates
Durant will immediately take over as the best player in Houston, but, at 36 years old, he is not a long-term solution for Houston.
Under Ime Udoka, the Rockets have built themselves into one of the better defensive teams in the league, and Jabari Smith Jr. thinks the team will continue to find success.
“I feel like everybody’s just unique in their own ways,” he explained. “Amen is just like the most athletic person on the planet…Tari Eason is like a madman. He plays hard every game…Alphy is just so skilled. Everybody’s just unique in their own way, I feel like that’s what makes it so intriguing because it’s like every player is so different.”
On top of that, Reed Sheppard is an elite shooter and veterans like Fred VanVleet, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Josh Okogie can play massive roles, as well.
Kevin Durant will help Smith Jr. perfect his game
In his third year in the NBA, Durant won his first scoring title, averaging 30.1 points per game. Smith Jr. is a step (or two!) behind KD, but he is a solid floor-spacing power forward.
Smith Jr. listed off how special each one of his young teammates are, and he thinks playing alongside one of his role models growing up will help him expand his game.
“I think everybody who was tall and could shoot kind of wanted to be KD, that’s just kind of what it was growing up,” he said. “I used to look up to him a lot, and then got into the NBA, and being able to work out with him, it was all crazy.”
Durant arrives as the present of basketball in Houston, and the future, with Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Smith Jr. is in place, it’s just a matter of unlocking that unit’s potential.