Jabari Smith

It was a busy draft night for the Rockets, headlined by the pick of Auburn forward Jabari Smith. Here's what stood out to GM Rafael Stone.

Known for his elite shooting and versatile defense, Smith should significantly help a Houston squad that ranked dead last among the NBA’s 30 teams in defense last season. The same can be said of LSU forward Tari Eason, who was drafted by the Rockets at No. 17 (via Brooklyn) as a direct result of the blockbuster James Harden trade. Smith was widely expected to be selected by Orlando at No. 1 overall, so his availability to Houston came as a shocking late development after the Magic opted to change course and pick Duke’s Paolo Banchero.

Bruce Pearl says Smith has the skills and mental toughness to be an NBA All-Star.

He has the savvy to understand that he doesn’t understand everything, and the basketball intelligence to process new information quickly. “The reason why he’s going to be an NBA All-Star is because of that mentality: you can’t be that good a jump shooter without the mental toughness of wanting the shot, taking the shot and believing the shot is going in every time it leaves his hand,” Pearl said. To be clear: Smith is not necessarily an All-Star out of the box. To stay on the floor long enough to showcase that ability, Smith of course has to be competent at the other end. If he can play two through four, two through five, and be in ball screens and switch and have to guard Ja Morant or Chris Paul or whoever, and be OK and keep those guys in front? “But what’s immediately transferable to the NBA is, if he can sit down and guard guards like he’s been guarding them? But “competent,” too, seems to be the floor. And woe to those who maybe forgot where he was on the floor. Guoard actually runs the show at his alma mater at this moment, but for the purposes of this particular Pearl gem, he was the irrepressible force for a national championship team in 1995. Smith can draw potential rim-protecting defenders away from the paint and put the ball in the bucket, right now. Smith shot 42 percent from 3-point range at Auburn, and he wasn’t a small sample-size wonder; no one on the roster took more than his 188 attempts from long range. Because the numbers back up all the swooning over Smith’s shooting, even his floor as a pro seems high enough to justify his lofty draft position.

Jabari Smith is one of the best shooters in the draft. Last year at Auburn, Smith shot 42 percent from beyond the line and showed the ability to score against ...

With Eason and Smith on the court, the Rockets’ last-place defense should be a thing of the past. As you see in the above defensive clip, Eason’s ability to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time is already elite. As mentioned earlier, the Rockets were the worst defense in the league. In drafting Jabari Smith and later Tari Eason with the 17 pick, Houston’s shooting and defense improved dramatically. I don't see that as big of an issue considering that in the NBA, you are not going to get much separation against NBA defenses. However, once Orlando made Banchero their choice, the focus immediately moved to Jabari Smith Jr., as Chet Holmgren was a lock to the Thunder.

The NBA Draft has become quite the fashion show, and Thursday night was no different. Jabari Smith, the No. 3 overall pick to the Houston Rockets and former ...

After trading Harden and the rest of their established stars, Houston went all in on the rebuild, looking to develop young draft picks to bring the team back into contention. Smith was one of three first-round picks the Rockets had in this year’s draft. Smith paid tribute to his career on the Plains with some stunning images of his Auburn career on the inside of his jacket.

David Hardisty: Jabari Smith said he doesn't care if he's picked 3rd or #52. "Of course I'll use it as a chip on my shoulder."Source: Twitter @clutchfans ...

The Thunder having the pick between Jabari Smith Jr and Chet Holmgren is incredible. As I just reported on our NBA Draft Show on ESPN, Duke’s Paolo Banchero has joined Auburn’s Jabari Smith under serious consideration to be franchise’s No. 1 overall pick, sources said. Jabari Smith is my No. 1 prospect in this class and someone I firmly believe should have gone at 1. I still think they go Chet, but Jabari Smith Jr is my number one. It was expected to be Paolo Banchero. It ended up being Jabari Smith Jr., whose shooting and defensive versatility should pair well with Jalen Green. –8:24 PM David Hardisty@ clutchfans The only picks they have missed are Paolo Banchero to Orlando and Jabari Smith to Houston (like everyone else). Check out the rest of their mock draft: basketballnews.com/nba-draft– 9:01 PM Kelly Iko@ KellyIkoNBA The Thunder having the pick between Jabari Smith Jr and Chet Holmgren is incredible. 1, but said they were prepared for it, there were a couple phone calls to make, & they’re really excited with who they got in Jabari Smith Jr. – 12:45 AM Adam Wexler@ AdamJWexler #RocketsGM Rafael Stone meeting with the media now discussing the selections of Jabari Smith (no. 3) & Tari Eason (no. 17) The deal which brought the 26th pick, then the 29th pick to Houston (TyTy Washington) has not been officially announced. As I just reported on our NBA Draft Show on ESPN, Duke’s Paolo Banchero has joined Auburn’s Jabari Smith under serious consideration to be franchise’s No. 1 overall pick, sources said. It was expected to be Paolo Banchero. It ended up being Jabari Smith Jr., whose shooting and defensive versatility should pair well with Jalen Green. – Jabari Smith is my No. 1 prospect in this class and someone I firmly believe should have gone at 1. I still think they go Chet, but Jabari Smith Jr is my number one.

Paolo Banchero was the surprise number one pick by the Orlando Magic at Thursday's NBA Draft, leaving Jabari Smith to go to the Rockets.

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David Hardisty: Jabari Smith said he doesn't care if he's picked 3rd or #52. "Of course I'll use it as a chip on my shoulder." Source: Twitter @clutchfans ...

You can select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Click here to find out more about our partners. - Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address

With Jabari Smith officially drafted by the Rockets, here's our first look at key takeaways and reaction to the pick by media and fans.

In Smith, they get an elite shooter and potentially a dynamic and versatile defender to pair with Jalen Green as the foundation of Houston’s rebuild. There is much work ahead to develop Smith and mold him with the rest of Houston’s young core. Every NBA team we talked to on draft week expected Smith to be the No. 1 pick, a status that changed just before the start of the event. His relative weakness, shot creation, may not be as meaningful on a team with Green, Sengun and Porter Jr., and his shooting and defense fill a clear deficiency with the current roster. Other presumed starters for the Rockets are Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Eric Gordon and Alperen Sengun — who will start next to Smith as part of a revamped frontcourt ( enabled by the recent trade of Christian Wood to Dallas). The 6-foot-10, 220-pound forward is considered an elite shooter with potential to be a force at both ends in the NBA, given his athletic gifts and versatility.

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Rockets selected Auburn freshman Jabari Smith Jr. with the third overall pick in the NBA draft Thursday night, adding a skilled ...

After trading Harden and the rest of their established stars, Houston went all in on the rebuild, looking to develop young draft picks to bring the team back into contention. Green had a solid rookie year, starting 67 games and averaging 17.3 points, 2.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds last season. Smith was one of three first-round picks the Rockets had in this year’s draft.

Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren were the top-two players out of high school in the 2021 class, so it didn't surprise Bruce Pearl too much when Auburn ...

You know, look, we didn’t beat the bluebloods for Jabari. We beat Tennessee, LSU and a few other programs – Georgia (for his commitment). So, it’s not the first time Jabari’s been overlooked.” “Just go ahead and poke the bear,” Pearl said. Although Smith did not become the first No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick in Auburn history, he still wound up as the highest-drafted player to come through the program. “And then, obviously, with the kind of year Jabari had and his brilliance in certain areas, there was a lot of momentum for him to go No. 1. His competitive nature even extended to the locker room in games of pool against teammates. “You know, Paolo and Chet were always 1-2, 1-2, 1-2 out of high school and over the last few years,” Pearl said.

Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr. was widely expected to go No. 1 overall to the Orlando Magic in the 2022 NBA draft, but he shockingly slipped to the Houston ...

He's surrounded by a young, uber-talented group of players to grow and develop with, and he'll be leading the team alongside potential fellow star Jalen Green. Jabari Smith on what about this moment puts a chip on his shoulder: “It wasn’t what I was expecting, but I’m happy to be here. The table is set for Smith to use that chip on his shoulder to achieve greatness, and now we'll see where that leads as the Rockets continue their rebuilding process. "Smith projects as a knockdown shooter who can space the floor around Jalen Green’s drives, and a big, switchable defender who can cover for some of the team’s other shortcoming at that end," Hollinger wrote in part. Regarding that mini-drop, Smith said that he had a "chip on his shoulder" on draft night. And John Hollinger of The Athletic had Smith as his top-rated player.

In an exclusive with The Athletic, Smith talked about being with the Rockets and his expectations for the young team.

He also wants to help the Rockets return to the playoffs soon. I feel like I’ll be able to guard centers, and centers won’t be able to guard me. “I feel like as I get stronger and see the game is changing, I can definitely play the five. “I like to have fun, I like to play with a smile. Smith, a legit floor spacer, shot 42 percent from deep on 5.5 attempts per game at Auburn. He is an unselfish player who knows how to fill in the gaps, an essential tool for playing alongside Green and Porter, who like to attack spaces. “He’s always looking to make the right play, but at the same time, he’s that go-get-a-bucket type guy you need. “I didn’t expect to drop this low, I would say,” Smith told The Athletic. “But when I heard my name called, all of that went away, and all my emotions let out. And it was hard not to see and feel the shock and surprise within the arena once NBA commissioner Adam Silver stood in front of the world and announced Banchero — and not Smith — as the first pick. Of the top three picks, Smith has long been regarded as the best defender by a considerable margin — and arguably is the best defender in this class outside of Tari Eason, whom the Rockets took at No. 17. The argument could be made that at the end of the day, the Rockets landed the player they wanted the most but felt was out of their reach. Smith even said that he didn’t see himself falling lower than second in the draft, a reason why he opted against a pre-draft visit to Houston. At one point, Smith briefly stopped to ask about center Walker Kessler, his teammate at Auburn, wondering if Houston had a chance to take him and trying to remember if he had worked out for the Rockets (Kessler would be drafted 22nd by Minnesota). Moments later, he asked to see my phone after hearing about a trade.