Rockets' Jabari Smith: Records double-double Friday
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Smith ended with 21 points (7-20 FG, 5-11 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 11 rebounds, four assists and one block over 37 minutes before fouling out of Friday's 112-109 loss to Denver.
Smith recorded his second double-double in the past three games, continuing his strong start to the season. Despite battling knee pain, he has put together an impressive run of late, averaging 16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.8 three-pointers in 33.1 minutes per game in his past six appearances.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Good to go Friday
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Smith (knee) is active and part of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Nuggets, Lachard Binkley of SI.com reports.
Smith has been battling right knee tendinopathy recently, but he'll play through the issue once more. Smith has scored 14 or more points in four of his last five appearances, and he's averaging 15.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 32.4 minutes during that stretch.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Iffy for Friday
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Smith (knee) is questionable for Friday's game against the Nuggets.
Smith is back on the injury report due to right knee tendinopathy. The Rockets are likely to see how the big man is feeling closer to Friday's tipoff before clarifying his status. If Smith cannot give it a go, Josh Okogie would be in position to take on heavy playing time in the frontcourt.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Cleared to play Wednesday
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Smith (knee) will play in Wednesday's game against Cleveland, Vanessa Richardson of Space City Home Network reports.
Smith will shake off a questionable designation to avoid missing his second game of the season. The 2022 first-rounder is handling his usual role in the starting lineup. On the year, Smith has averaged 14.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks in 33.0 minutes per contest over 11 games.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Questionable vs. Memphis
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Smith (ankle) is questionable for Wednesday's game against Memphis.
Smith is trying to overcome an ankle sprain, which forced him to miss Monday's game against the Mavericks. Should Smith need another contest to recover, Tari Eason would be in line to receive his second consecutive start in the frontcourt.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Drops season-high 25 points in win
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Smith dropped in a season-high 25 points (8-16 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 5-6 FT) Wednesday, to go with five rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block over 38 turnover-less minutes in a 139-121 win over the Raptors.
Smith got off to a quick start in this one, dropping in 10 points in his first six minutes of play, and he did an excellent job helping spread the floor by knocking down the kick-out threes. He's been heating up over the past two, so it'll be interesting to see if he can keep it going Saturday with a tough matchup in Boston.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Starting against Thunder
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Smith (rest) will start Tuesday's game against the Thunder, Vanessa Richardson of Space City Home Network reports.
Smith will be back with the starters after sitting out Thursday's preseason finale for maintenance. Smith will be starting at small forward, as the Rockets are utilizing a jumbo lineup of Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Scores nine points Monday
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Smith produced nine points (3-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, one assist and one turnover across 23 minutes of Monday's 122-113 preseason win over Atlanta.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has already named Smith as a starter for the 2025-26 season, and he certainly looked the part Monday. With three minutes to play in the first quarter, Smith had one of the plays of the game when he drove past Luke Kennard and dunked it on Onyeka Okongwu. Fresh off a five-year, $122 million rookie contract extension, Smith looks poised for a potential career year.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Muted performance in win
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Smith supplied eight points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3Pt), three rebounds and one assist over 19 minutes during Friday's 115-107 win over the Warriors in Game 6 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Smith remained a non-factor in this first-round series, as he's cracked double digits in the scoring department only twice in six games. So far in the series, the Auburn product has averaged 8.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the floor and 47.4 percent from deep.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Ready to face Denver
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Smith (groin) is not on the injury report ahead of Sunday's game against the Nuggets.
The Rockets rested their regular rotation players in the last two contests, but that won't be the case Sunday because this is the final chance the Rockets will have to log competitive minutes until the playoffs start April 19. As such, Smith should see his regular workload in the frontcourt, though he's expected to come off the bench, as that's been the case in recent weeks. He's started in just six of his 24 appearances since the All-Star break.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Questionable against LAL
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Smith (groin) has been listed as questionable for Friday's game against the Lakers.
Smith missed Wednesday's win against the Clippers due to a groin injury but has a chance to play Friday. The third-year forward is averaging 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from beyond the arc.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Good to go Sunday
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Smith (ankle) is available for Sunday's game against the Warriors, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Smith will shake off a questionable tag Sunday due to a sprained right ankle. The 21-year-old big man has played at least 26 minutes off the bench in six straight games, averaging 12.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 28.8 minutes per contest.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Questionable to play Sunday
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Smith is questionable for Sunday's game against the Warriors due to a right ankle sprain.
A decision on Smith's status will be made closer to Sunday's 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff. However, he's not expected to play a big role in the rotation even if he does suit up, as Tari Eason is expected to start at power forward, meaning Smith would be limited to a bench role.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Double-double off bench in rout
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Smith closed Wednesday's 143-105 win over Utah with 15 points (6-16 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 14 rebounds and two assists over 27 minutes.
The third-year forward led Houston's second unit in minutes, points and boards as he recorded his eighth double-double of the season. Three of them have come in his last four appearances, and Smith has scored in double digits in 10 of the last 11 games (one start), a span in which he's averaging 14.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 threes, 1.4 assists and 0.8 steals in 27.2 minutes a contest.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Productive off bench
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Smith contributed 17 points (5-12 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds, one assist and two steals in 33 minutes during Tuesday's 121-114 victory over the Hawks.
Although Smith has seen 28.4 minutes across 14 March appearances, his fantasy appeal has left a lot to be desired. During that span, Smith has been outside the top-150 in nine-category formats with 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.9 three-pointers.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Moving to bench role
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Smith is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Suns, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Smith will return to the bench due to the presence of Fred VanVleet (ankle) in the starting lineup. Smith has played off the bench in five of his previous 10 contests, averaging 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Starting Monday vs. OKC
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Smith is in the Rockets' starting lineup against the Thunder on Monday, Lachard Binkley of SI.com reports.
Four of the Rockets' five starters against the Kings on Saturday are not playing Monday, so Smith will re-enter the starting lineup alongside Jalen Green, Reed Sheppard, Cam Whitmore and Jock Landale. Smith has averaged 9.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists over 30.4 minutes per game in his five games since returning from a hand fracture.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Notches 13 points
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Smith logged 13 points (4-10 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT) and eight rebounds across 33 minutes during Tuesday's 100-97 win over Milwaukee.
Playing in just his third game since returning from an extended injury absence, Smith shifted to the bench for this game with Tari Eason getting the starting nod. Houston's lineup may not be set in stone going forward, as the team is waiting to get Fred VanVleet (ankle) back from his injury. Plus, they will likely be looking to find a way to keep Amen Thompson heavily involved in what has been a breakout season for the forward. With that in mind, Smith's upside may not be as high as it was prior to his injury.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Struggles against Utah
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Smith produced three points (1-8 FG, 1-5 3Pt), two rebounds and one assist across 29 minutes during Saturday's 124-115 loss to the Jazz.
In just his second game back from a 22-game absence due to fractured hand, Smith was inserted into the Rockets' starting lineup due to the absence of Tari Eason (lower leg injury management). Smith struggled to get anything going during Saturday's loss, missing on all but one of his eight field-goal attempts while finishing with a minus-10 point differential, which was tied with Jalen Green for worst on the team. Smith and the Rockets will look to bounce back against the Bucks on Tuesday.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Gets huge minutes off bench
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Smith (hand) tallied 15 points (5-9 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and one block across 38 minutes in Friday's 121-115 win over the Timberwolves.
Smith had started in each of his previous 188 NBA games, but the Rockets brought the 21-year-old power forward off the bench for the first time in his career after he had missed the previous 22 contests while recovering from a fractured left hand. Despite coming off the bench, Smith was operating with no restrictions, as he ranked third on the team in minutes and turned in an efficient scoring performance. Considering he had averaged 30.9 minutes per game for the season prior to getting hurt, Smith's 38-minute workload from Friday shouldn't be regarded as the new norm. However, Smith is likely to eventually take back his starting spot from Tari Eason, which could happen as soon as the Rockets' game in Utah on Saturday. Eason will be a candidate to sit out the second leg of the back-to-back set for lower leg injury management.
