The feel has improved somewhat! But the Rockets’ abilities in other aspects still haven’t improved significantly?

In a previous NBA preseason game, the Houston Rockets defeated the Utah Jazz 140-127 at home. After this game, the Rockets achieved two consecutive wins in the preseason and currently have a record of 2 wins and 0 losses, while the Jazz suffered two consecutive losses in the preseason and currently have a record of 0 wins and 2 losses.

In this game, the condition of the Rockets' new starting forward Jabari Smith Jr. has also improved to a certain extent. Smith played 24 minutes and 18 seconds, making 7 of 11 shots, 3 of 5 from beyond the three-point line, and 1 of 1 free throw. He scored 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block. He also had 3 turnovers and 1 foul, with a plus-minus of -4. Smith also showed good scoring ability on the offensive end, and his touch on outside shooting has also improved a lot. Smith's performance on the defensive end can be considered quite satisfactory, and it can also have a certain effect. But the problem is that Smith's scoring mainly comes from his outside shooting. His offensive methods are still a bit single, and he also made a lot of mistakes, which reflects his technical deficiencies. Smith's performance on the defensive end cannot be considered particularly outstanding. In other words, there is a certain gap with everyone's expectations of him. It is worth mentioning that Smith is also the only player on the Rockets with a negative plus-minus.

In the NBA regular season last season, Smith was affected by injuries in 82 games and played a total of 57 times, averaging 30.1 minutes per game. 12.2 points, 7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.8 blocks, 1.1 turnovers and 2.2 fouls, shooting 43.8% from the field, 35.4% from the three-point range, and 82.5% from the free throw line. During the playoffs, Smith played a total of 7 times, averaging 20.5 minutes per game. He averaged 7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. He also had 1.4 turnovers and 0.9 fouls. He shot 50% from the field, 45.5% from the three-point range, and 80% from the free throw line. In the previous preseason game when the team defeated the Atlanta Hawks, Smith made 3 of 8 shots, 2 of 4 from beyond the three-point line, and 1 of 2 free throws in 23 minutes and 11 seconds of playing time. He scored 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist. He also had 1 turnover and 1 foul, with a plus-minus of +9.

Smith's performance last season could only be regarded as quite satisfactory. He showed some improvement, but the extent of improvement was not obvious. However, this summer, Smith still received a five-year early contract extension from the Rockets with a total amount of US$122 million. The Rockets seem quite optimistic about Smith's ability and future development, otherwise they would not have given him such a long-term contract. However, Smith's progress seems to be relatively limited. He is still just an ordinary pitcher, and his role on the court is still very limited to that of the Bulls. If Smith can't make substantial progress in other areas, his contract will still seem a little expensive.