HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Jabari Smith Jr expected to be the first pick of the 2022 draft, but after Orlando passed on him for Paolo Banchero, Smith thought he could be taken second by Oklahoma City.
“I thought the workout went good,” Smith recalled Monday. “I thought the meeting with (general manager Sam Presti) and everybody went good.”
Smith ended up with the Rockets after Thunder instead opted to take Chet Holmgren, and the two will meet on an NBA floor for the first time on Wednesday night.
Smith and Holmgren aren’t particularly close, “We’re not besties, but we’re cool,” but the Rockets forward keeps tabs on the Thunder center and looks forward to playing against him for a long time.
“Us both being in the West and trying to help these two franchises get back to winning the way they used to, so we’ll definitely be seeing each other for some time.”
After a foot injury kept him off the floor last season, Holmgren has lived up to the hype this season, averaging 17.6 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game on 53 percent shooting in 19 games this season, but Smith has also shown why he was taken in the top three.
His scoring average has only gone up from 12.8 to 13.3 points per game, but he’s doing so much more efficiently. Smith’s shooting percentage has increased to 50.6 percent from 40.8 percent last season, and he says the improvement has nothing to do with different shooting mechanics.
“I feel like it’s just confidence, arc, not trying to be short, and just shooting confident, holding your follow through and trying to shoot the same shot every time.”
It’s been encouraging for Smith to see his hard work turn into better results, both for himself and for the team.
“It's good to see improvements. it's good to see that, and the improvements are affecting winning, for the most part. Just keep improving and keep trying to win games. That's the goal.”