{"id":178462,"date":"2026-02-21T14:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T19:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=178462"},"modified":"2026-02-21T14:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T19:08:14","slug":"examining-kevin-durants-praise-for-jabari-smith-small-ball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/02\/21\/examining-kevin-durants-praise-for-jabari-smith-small-ball\/","title":{"rendered":"Examining Kevin Durant’s Praise For Jabari Smith Small Ball"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was an odd week for Houston Rockets fans. Superstar offseason acquisition Kevin Durant<\/a> was embroiled in yet another social media \u201cdrama.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0Among comments alleged to have come from a Durant “burner” account were disparaging remarks about teammate Jabari Smith Jr<\/a>. Then, after Houston’s first game back from the All-Star break, Durant sang the praises of Houston’s “small ball” lineup. The key player in any Houston small ball look? Jabari Smith Jr.<\/p>\n

So, does Durant have a point, or was he just saving face?<\/p>\n

Examining Kevin Durant’s Praise For Jabari Smith Small Ball<\/h2>\n

The Rockets defeated the Charlotte Hornets 105-101 on Thursday night<\/a>. Durant put on an offensive exhibition for Houston, scoring 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting from the field. In his post-game interview on the floor, Durant was keen to point out the success the team had going \u201csmall ball.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0It\u2019s easy for suspicious minds to interpret that as a shot at franchise center Alperen Sengun<\/a>. But it could just as easily have been a peace offering to Smith. Most likely, it was out of a genuine preference for the lineup.<\/p>\n