Amid the Houston Rockets’ 48-point first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves over the weekend, the return of Jabari Smith Jr. — and more importantly, Ime Udoka’s utilization of the third-year big — was a reminder of his value.
Houston shot an impressive 74 percent from the field, 75 percent from 3 and scored 153.8 points per half-court play in the opening 12 minutes, an outlier performance given the team’s struggles this season against set defenses.
But Smith, who came off the bench in his first game since fracturing his left hand on Jan. 1, looked sharp, chipping in 8 points (2-for-2 from 3), three rebounds and two assists. And for a front office that balked at a blockbuster move around the trade deadline, regarding a healthy Smith as an addition, the 21-year-old offered potential as an X-factor ahead of a playoff run.
Looking at Houston’s roster, there isn’t anyone who can replicate Smith’s reach in terms of size, floor spacing, rebounding ability and perimeter/post-defensive efficiency. In his absence, the Rockets tried a few different things — starting Tari Eason, using veteran forward Jeff Green and Jae’Sean Tate more on the perimeter — but their slippage on both sides of the ball was noticeable for a team treading water (13-11 record) in his absence.
“He checks a lot of boxes and we can put him in a lot of places,” Udoka said last week. “Overall just his skill set and what he brings to the table — rim protection, rebounding — and the things that have dropped off with him being out.”
Over Smith’s first three years in the NBA, his ability to blend into a team setting has been praised by both coaches and teammates, even if it’s come at a personal cost. During his rookie season (a poor 22-60 Rockets team centered around Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr.), Smith registered a modest 17.2 usage rating, 69th percentile amongst players at his position, according to Cleaning the Glass. But that number has since declined in the seasons following, dropping to 16.4 last season (59th percentile) and plummeting to 14.0 percent (35th percentile) this season.
The benefit of having been in a rebuild was that players like Smith could develop quickly, getting as much time on the court as possible. But if you’re not a player who runs the fastest, jumps the highest or has the most creative live-ball dribble, that growth can stagnate if you’re seeing less of the ball over time. Stephen Silas, Udoka’s predecessor and Smith’s first NBA coach, said publicly he called zero plays for the then-rookie. None. Udoka hasn’t been quite as bold with a statement but has acknowledged the reality of Smith having to space the floor, trust his teammates and embrace the dirty work around the edges.
But if the Rockets envision Smith as a new, post-All-Star break addition, they’ll need to incorporate him as such — especially with the postseason less than two months away. And for as much as he was missed on the defensive end, Smith’s offensive impact — if leveraged correctly — could be the difference between a feel-good first-round exit and an improbable Conference finals run.
Circling back to Houston’s half-court issues — the Rockets were 26th in points per play (according to Cleaning the Glass) both before Smith’s injury and in the 24 games since — which is less about Smith’s presence and more about how the coaching staff has utilized him. (If we’re being honest, the X’s and O’s could benefit from a playbook update.)
There’s no magical switch teams can flip from the regular season to the playoffs. If you’ve labored to generate timely, efficient looks all season, those issues will only become exacerbated in slower games once individual possessions hold more weight. And on paper, there is no reason why a team as talented as Houston with hopes of contending should be wedged between Charlotte, Washington and New Orleans in any advanced category.
At this juncture, Udoka is well aware that playoff teams treat regular-season matchups as data collection. Of course, winning or losing affects seeding, but the fundamentals have proven to be far more important.
It’s common knowledge the Rockets have struggled against zone. According to Synergy tracking data, Houston is just 18th in points per possession (0.967) and 26th in ball security (13.2 turnover percentage) against zone defenses.
In the first-quarter possession above, the Warriors are employing a 1-3-1 zone. It’s less popular than the 2-3 or even 3-2 zone, but the purpose of a 1-3-1 zone is to limit downhill penetration from teams that like to attack the middle of the floor. The risk of the zone is in the corners — it asks a lot of the “3” to rotate and recover to those blind spots, but against this particular Rockets five, it’s effective. Tate, Amen Thompson and Steven Adams aren’t threats to punish Golden State enough from behind the arc and the four Rockets (minus Adams) are driving threats.
The result is what you expected: a turnover.
This season, Smith is shooting 38 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s, important context given Houston’s lack of consistent perimeter options. At times, the Rockets have been guilty of leaning too hard in one direction (athleticism) and find themselves running into a wall, no pun intended. With Smith on the floor, his presence makes some aggressive defensive coverages less effective.
Any Rockets lineup that features a big and at least one non-shooter is likely to see some form of zone, especially anything to slow down Thompson — who has quickly asserted himself as a star in the making. This is another use of 1-3-1, with T.J. McConnell defending at the top and Myles Turner manning the nail.
The veteran Pacers big instructs Jarace Walker (No. 5) to pay attention to Fred VanVleet on the strong wing, leaving Obi Toppin to focus on the right corner where Smith is. There appears to be a communication breakdown — Toppin thinks Smith is going to cut to the rim after Jock Landale receives the ball and subsequently slides over, leaving Smith wide open for an easy triple.
This has been a consistent theme regarding Smith, who should be regarded as a zone breaker at this point. Turn up your volume and pay attention to the Wolves trying to figure out positioning and assignments in this 2-3 zone, and watch Smith. This is a broken play — Dillon Brooks wants Smith to stay spaced in the corner, but the latter is looking for a quick-hitting pick-and-pop action at the top of the key. It takes a few attempts at drive-and-kicks, but Smith is waiting patiently for anyone to recognize he’s been left all alone.
It’s pertinent to note the subtle changes in Houston’s offensive hierarchy since the calendar flipped to 2025. Thompson, as noted earlier, has taken on more of a ballhandling responsibility, and Udoka as a result has experimented more with small ball groups. The VanVleet/Eason/Thompson/Smith/Brooks lineup seen below has only played 18 minutes together but is arguably their most versatile defensive setup and has enough shooting to keep defenses honest.
But it’s Smith operating as a small ball center that is key. He’s quicker than opposing bigs who prefer to plop themselves in the middle of zones and Smith’s faceup game is underrated. It’s a suitable go-to counter Udoka should become more comfortable dialing up when appropriate.
“The threat of his shot is always there,” Udoka said. “But we move him around a little bit — we can put him in the middle and like him to get the faceup shot there as well. He’s had some success with that last year and earlier this year in zone. We like him in the middle, we obviously like him on the perimeter. Good thing to have, guys with his size that can get those shots off.”
It’s a balancing act. Finding the sweet spot between having Smith’s number called and being a cog in the machine, regardless of whatever defensive scheme is thrown their way.
VanVleet is nearing a return to action, which means Udoka will once again be faced with making a tough call — whether to start Smith or have him spearhead the second unit. If his first two games back are any indicator (Smith as a starter went 1-for-8 from the field in Saturday’s loss to Utah), bringing him off the bench, at least in the interim, makes sense.
“It never really mattered who started,” Smith said. “He’ll finish the game with whoever’s playing the best so that’s not really a big deal. We’re deep, have a lot of players. It’s everybody’s job to play as hard as they can and do their job when they get in the game.”
Of course, it boils down to the sets Udoka draws up, but there should be more variety for Smith against second units than there is way down in the pecking order with the starters. But if Houston has any hope of making a deep run, Smith needs less blending in the background and more of a focal offensive option.
“Just let it fly,” Smith said. “Just being aggressive when you have open shots and not turning them down.”
(Top photo: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
