Bad Landing Spot: Houston Rockets
Like Robert Covington, Jabari Smith Jr. projects to be more of an elite help defender than a one-on-one stopper. In order for a help defender’s strengths to truly shine, he has to be surrounded by adequate stoppers at least. Jabari Smith Jr. won’t find that on the Houston Rockets and could see his development slowed as a result.
Furthermore, the Rockets are in the early stages of their rebuild and would count on him for more than he’s capable of to begin his career. Rebuilding teams like to get instant gratification from the draft picks that they tanked for the year before.
With Smith’s skill set as a high-ceiling complementary star, Houston fans might not see the numbers they’d like to see from him right away — at least not until he and Jalen Green start building chemistry as a one-two punch.
Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun could lead to a fun frontcourt, but the defensive implications seem disastrous.
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With how early they are into their rebuild, Houston is better off taking a more traditional prospect such as Paolo Banchero or Jaden Ivey — a rookie who can put up big scoring numbers from day one — than someone whose impact might not always show up on the box score like Jabari Smith Jr. or Chet Holmgren.
