It hasn\u2019t been a linear trend towards success for this Houston Rockets rebuild.<\/p>\n
There have been peaks and valleys. At times, it has looked like the Rockets had one of the brightest futures in the NBA. There\u2019s been plenty of gloom and doom as well. As is often the case, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle.<\/p>\n
All of the Rockets\u2019 young players have shown potential. The problem is that none have emerged as a true franchise player. That leaves us all waiting for one of these young Rockets to \u201cstep up\u201d.<\/p>\n
According to the latest polls, you think Jabari Smith Jr. is the man for the job.<\/p>\n
Jabari Smith Jr. voted most likely to \u201ctake the next step\u201d<\/p>\n
I know\u2026I know. The poll question was not \u201cIs Jabari Smith Jr. a franchise-caliber player\u201d? Maybe I\u2019ve got writer\u2019s block, maybe every NBA writer has writer\u2019s block during the summer until their team makes a splashy acquisition.<\/p>\n
What you actually voted for was Smith Jr. to step up ahead of Tari Eason next year. That makes sense. Eason is a couple of years older than Smith Jr., which gives Smith Jr. a longer runway for improvement. Eason has also been generally better than Smith Jr., so the latter\u2019s bar for \u201cstepping up\u201d is lower.<\/p>\n
The question is, what does stepping up look like for Smith Jr.?<\/p>\n
Rockets\u2019 Smith Jr. has room to grow<\/p>\n
Resisting the urge to claim that you voted this way because I\u2019d recently written a whole article about Smith Jr. stepping up.<\/p>\n
Joking. I know I don\u2019t have that influence. Again, writer\u2019s block. Trying to be funny. Words.<\/p>\n
To reiterate: There are two clear paths to improvement for Smith Jr. One is to simply improve his three-point shooting, and the other is to explore his midrange game more thoroughly.<\/p>\n
As the roster is constructed, that midrange game might be difficult to probe. Between Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, that part of the floor is largely occupied. So, an increase in three-point efficiency (and, ideally, volume) seems like the more available path.<\/p>\n