Ahead of his fourth NBA season, Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. is citing ball-handling and shot creation as points of emphasis during the 2025 offseason.
“I want to have a big summer and come back next year looking like a whole different player,” Smith told Ari Alexander of KPRC, Houston’s NBC affiliate.
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“Confidence in my ball-handling, confidence in being able to create my own shot, and just having a better, stronger motor,” Smith says of what he’d like to gain from his offseason work. “I just want to change, and come back different.”
Smith has worked out this offseason with Aaron Miller, a skills trainer who has extensive experience working with NBA players.
“It’s real technical, with a lot of attention to detail,” Smith said of Miller’s workouts. “I just like how detailed it is, and how down to the science it is.”
Smith averaged 12.2 points (43.8% FG, 35.4% on 3-pointers) and 7.0 rebounds in 30.1 minutes per game last season. As the No. 3 overall draft pick from the NBA’s 2022 first round, the 22-year-old Auburn product is eligible for a contract extension during a window from July 1, 2025, until the start of the 2025-26 regular season in late October.
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Should he not receive one, Smith will become a restricted free agent in the 2026 offseason, and his likely contract will depend in large part on his play during the upcoming season. To say the least, a production uptick after a positive offseason would help him establish more long-term value.
During Houston’s first-round series loss to Golden State a few weeks ago, Smith’s average minutes total tumbled to just 20.4 (and only 12 in a decisive Game 7 loss to the Warriors). Among frontcourt players, minutes for Smith and Tari Eason were scaled down in the playoffs while Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Steven Adams all played more.
It appears that subpar finish to the 2024-25 season has provided fuel for Smith as he begins the 2025 offseason.
“We didn’t finish the season how we wanted to, so I was ready to get back in the gym and work on what I need to work on,” Smith told Alexander.
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More: Rockets reportedly open to contract talks with Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: In offseason work, Jabari Smith develops as shot creator, ball handler