Marcus Smart is already giving the Rockets exactly the kind of jolt they wanted when they brought him to Houston this offseason.
After reconnecting with Ime Udoka in Boston during the 2021/22 season, Smart and the Rockets coach had a chance to link up again, and Houston made the move because it wanted more backcourt help with Fred VanVleet returning from an ACL tear. Udoka was clear about why Smart fit.
“I thought he was a perfect fit who addresses a lot of what we were missing,” Udoka told Guillory. “I thought we lacked a little depth at point guard, and he brings that defensive identity. We still have high-level defenders, but he brings that edge and toughness and tone-setting that Dillon (Brooks) brought to us before he left the building.”
Smart, who was traded out of Boston in 2023 and later spent time with the Grizzlies, Wizards, and Lakers, signed a two-year, $12.4MM deal with Houston in free agency over the summer. It wasn’t a huge payday, even after he had a strong bounce-back season in Los Angeles in 2025/26, but the fit mattered more to him than the number.
“(Udoka’s) mentality matched mine,” Smart said. “He allowed me to be me without any persecution.”
So far, the early returns have backed up the Rockets’ bet. Through six games, Smart is averaging 9.8 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals while knocking down 38.7% of his three-point attempts. Houston has posted a +11.7 net rating with him on the floor.
“Hated playing against him,” Durant said of Smart earlier this week, per Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “But I see why everybody loves him as a teammate.”
Elsewhere in the Southwest, Victor Wembanyama finally looked like the overwhelming force San Antonio has been waiting for on Wednesday night. He had still been producing MVP-caliber numbers through his first seven games this season, but his shooting percentage and free throw rate had dipped from last year’s levels.
That changed in a big way against Dallas, when he poured in 52 points, grabbed 24 rebounds, and blocked eight shots in a 112-111 Spurs win. He shot 16-of-28 from the field and 19-of-23 at the line.
Afterward, Wembanyama said he feels better after dealing with an illness and expects more nights like that one.
“It’s just figuring things out,” he said, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN.
“Sometimes, you’re one step ahead. Also, I haven’t been feeling great lately.
I’m sick. I felt like I got my legs back.
So, it should be more like this more often.”
Devin Vassell’s start has been quieter. He’s averaging 10.6 points per game on 37.2% shooting, but he has stayed in San Antonio’s new-look starting five. Head coach Mitch Johnson called him the “most consistent person on the roster” in Wright’s ESPN feature on Vassell’s role.
Wednesday’s Spurs-Mavericks showdown also prompted Jared Weiss and Christian Clark of The Athletic to compare where Cooper Flagg stands in his development relative to Wembanyama and to look at how Dallas can grow into the kind of Western Conference contender San Antonio has become.
And in Dallas, new Mavericks shooting coach Rob Fodor is already making an impression. Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News profiled Fodor’s work with Naji Marshall, Zaccharie Risacher, and Morez Johnson Jr. this fall, and Marshall didn’t hold back on the impact.
“He fixed my whole swag,” said Marshall, who has spoken about wanting to make 45% of his three-point tries this season. “That’s why I’m so confident saying that 45%.
That guy is unbelievable. I work with him every day because I found out how much of a GOAT he was.
I just appreciate him as well.”
In Other News...
Dylan Harper Said What Spurs Fans Are Starting To Believe About Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyamas latest night was the kind that forces even hardened NBA observers to stop and reset their expectations. He put up 52 points, 24 rebounds, eight blocks and two steals in 34 minutes, a line so rare it put him alongside Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to ever reach at least 50 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks in a game. It also kept the Spurs rolling, pushing their winning streak to six and lifting them to 6-2.
For a young roster trying to find its identity, the bigger takeaway may be how quickly Wembanyama is turning awe into routine. Dylan Harper was among the teammates who came away sounding like fans, praising Wembanyamas dominance and drawing the Chamberlain comparison himself, which says plenty about the standard being set inside the locker room. The question now is less about whether Wembanyama can take over a game than how far San Antonio can ride nights like this while the rest of the league keeps trying to catch up. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Is Putting Dallas Through The Exact Show Spurs Fans Dreamed Of
Victor Wembanyama made the Spurs matchup with Dallas feel like a showcase from the opening tip, and by halftime he had already piled up a line that looked more like a full game than a first half. The rookie center scored 29 points on 7-for-12 shooting and added 16 rebounds, two assists, three steals and six blocks, giving San Antonio exactly the kind of two-way dominance its fans have been imagining since he arrived.
The Mavericks tried to keep pace through Kyrie Irving, who had 17 points and four assists, but Wembanyama kept bending the game in San Antonios favor on both ends. For a Spurs team still building around its new centerpiece, nights like this are a reminder of how quickly he can change the tone of a game, and how uncomfortable he can make even a veteran opponent look when the matchup tilts his way. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyamas Historic Night Still Left Him Frustrated With One Thing
Victor Wembanyama delivered the kind of performance that can reshape a game and a conversation at the same time, piling up a career-high 52 points with 24 rebounds and eight blocks to lift the Spurs past Dallas, 112-111. It was the sort of night San Antonio has been waiting to see from its franchise centerpiece, especially with the rest of the roster struggling to keep pace offensively while the Mavericks kept clawing back into it.
Even after all that, Wembanyama did not sound like a player fully satisfied with the finish. He pointed to a few late-game details he wanted back, including missed free throws and the way he handled some screen-setting sequences, a reminder that his standards are already set well beyond a box score that most players would celebrate for weeks. For the Spurs, the win mattered most, but the frustration attached to it may be just as telling about where their star thinks this group still has room to grow. [Read more 🡒]