Jabari Smith Jr. opened the season looking like a different player for the Rockets. He played with more force as a scorer, shot with confidence and gave Houston another reliable offensive option in the lineup. But that version didn’t show up on Wednesday night, when the Rockets took their second loss of the season and Smith attempted just four shots.
That kind of dip is exactly what Houston can’t afford from a player who has started to look like a real scoring threat. Shot attempts don’t tell the whole story, but for a young player like Smith, they still say plenty about whether he’s hunting his offense or drifting through the game.
Over the first eight games, he averaged 12.8 attempts a night, a slight career high. More importantly, the way he was getting those looks had changed.
He was creating more for himself instead of simply finishing what teammates set up, and that showed up in his scoring average of 18.4 points per game, also a career best.
Against that backdrop, Wednesday stood out for the wrong reasons. Smith went quiet for long stretches and didn’t put enough pressure on the defense.
When he attacks mismatches or forces breakdowns on his own, Houston’s offense looks sharper and more dangerous. In those moments, the Rockets can look like they already have enough firepower with Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun.
The good news for Houston is that this is still early. A rough night now is a lot easier to absorb than one in the spring.
Over the next several months, the Rockets need Smith to keep developing that scoring mindset and turn it into something steady. If he gets there by the playoffs, he has the kind of ability that can tilt a series.
Smith is in year 5, but he’s still only 23. He also hasn’t really had a full green light to go get his own shot on a winning team before.
The last two seasons asked him to fit into more of a complementary role while Houston’s stars handled the heavy lifting. Now he has the chance to create offense himself, and that means embracing the mistakes that can come with it.
Durant and Sengun would surely welcome another scorer who can ease the burden.
In Other News...
Bruce Thornton Just Gave Rockets Fans A Reason To Revisit The Backcourt
Bruce Thorntons first stop with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers gave Rockets fans a fresh reason to keep an eye on the back end of the roster. Assigned to Houstons G League affiliate, the rookie guard has already shown signs of growth in his first NBA season, and the move down to the Vipers was another chance to get real game reps in a setting where he could handle more of the offense.
The assignment did not last long. Thornton was back with the Rockets after the game, a reminder that Houston is still sorting through its backcourt depth while keeping tabs on one of its younger pieces. For a team that has been watching his development closely since taking him 31st overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, every brief stint like this feels like part of a larger evaluation. [Read more 🡒]
Dillon Brooks Just Gave Rockets Fans Another Reason To Hate This Matchup
Dillon Brooks has never needed much help turning a game into a grudge match, and the former Rockets wing is doing it again ahead of Houstons meeting with Phoenix. Brooks, now with the Suns, said the matchup carries extra edge because of the recent back-and-forth involving Kevin Durant and Suns owner Mat Ishbia, a social media exchange that already had plenty of heat before the teams even tipped off.
Brooks also made it clear he wants his response to land squarely on Durant, not in the usual vague, indirect NBA internet style. For Rockets fans, it is another reminder that this matchup comes with more than the usual playoff-style tension, especially with Brooks leaning into the moment and promising to meet Durants comments head-on. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant's Late Lapse Should Worry Every Rockets Fan
The Rockets came up short again in a tight loss to the Suns, and the frustration was easy to understand. Houston got encouraging offensive work from its young players and showed enough fight to keep the game close, but the defensive issues that have cropped up in recent losses were still there when it mattered most.
Kevin Durant finished with 21 points and still had a chance to swing the outcome late, which is exactly why this one stings for Houston. Instead, the final sequence turned into another reminder that the Rockets can score with teams and still leave themselves vulnerable if they cannot get the stops and late-game execution to match. [Read more 🡒]