{"id":109711,"date":"2024-11-29T13:51:20","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T18:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=109711"},"modified":"2024-11-29T13:51:20","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T18:51:20","slug":"rockets-faith-in-starters-shot-rewarded","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/29\/rockets-faith-in-starters-shot-rewarded\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets’ Faith In Starter’s Shot Rewarded"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not too long ago, third-year Rockets big man Jabari Smith Jr.<\/a> looked in danger of losing his starting spot<\/a>. Now the right adjustment looks like getting him more shots instead. Smith’s gruesome start<\/a> to the season made for an ugly comparison with the sensational return<\/a> of two-way bench terror Tari Eason<\/a>. But Smith’s confidence in his shot looks higher than ever, and his spot as a long-term Rockets starter looks secure.<\/p>\n

Rockets’ Faith In Starter’s Shot Rewarded<\/h2>\n

Benching Smith never looked like the right call, even if it seemed like the obvious one. Head coach Ime Udoka<\/a> actually went the exact opposite route. He started running more plays for Smith instead. The go-to play for Smith is a pin down into a midrange jumper off the catch. They don’t get run off often and their appearance may be entirely coincidental. Nonetheless, Smith has rewarded Udoka’s confidence in him by showing confidence in himself.<\/p>\n

Smith doesn’t seem to have the on-court processing speed to be a trusted decision-maker for a successful NBA team. Clearly, that limits his ceiling. After all, you typically want to be able to trust your best players to make good decisions. There are exceptions. Anthony Davis<\/a> isn’t necessarily someone you want making a tonne of decisions for instance, yet he’s been a top-ten player in the NBA this season.<\/p>\n

Smith has significant physical gifts. He does not have Davis-level physical gifts. No unibrow for one thing. No “Kobe Bryant<\/a> has a GOAT case” type reach for another. But he is showing flashes of living up to his draft day marketing<\/a> as a six-foot-ten sniper tower.<\/p>\n

A Shot At Being More Than Just A Starter For Rockets?<\/h3>\n

Smith was a huge contributor to the Rockets’ NBA Cup<\/a> victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a>. He may have only taken four threes, but the way he took them was extremely encouraging for Rockets fans. There was absolutely zero hesitation and no respect at all for the last-minute contests.<\/p>\n