Jabari Smith Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Fox, Rockets, Jackson, Jensen

March 8th, 2025 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

De’Aaron Fox has been playing this season with a dislocated left pinky finger, according to Mike Monroe of The Athletic, who says that the Spurs guard is expected to undergo surgery sooner or later to address the injury. With San Antonio falling out of play-in contention, that procedure could even happen before the end of the season so that the recovery process doesn’t extend too far into the offseason, Monroe notes.

“Oh, obviously, for me and (general manager Brian Wright), we’ve talked about the surgery thing,” Fox said. “At some point, I’m going to have to get it, but we’ll see where we are before that comes.”

Speaking to reporters on Friday in Sacramento after a loss to his former team, Fox pointed to March 17 as a possible date for the procedure, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). The Spurs will be in Los Angeles at that time for a rescheduled game vs. the Lakers and Fox said he’ll have the injury evaluated by a specialist in L.A. during that trip.

“The surgery may or may not happen that day,” he said.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Veteran center Steven Adams has served as a backup to Rockets starter Alperen Sengun for most of the season, but the two big men shared the court for seven minutes against New Orleans on Thursday and Houston outscored the Pelicans 23-5 during that time, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “It’s good because it’s something new,” Adams said after the win. “It’s just engaging. Also, a lot of my career has been spent that way as well, playing double-big lineup anyway. It’s just good, just figuring it out and I feel like we play with each other pretty well, just gravitate the defense. In a sort of way it’s a different look, so I think it’s a pretty useful tool going forward.”
In a Rockets-centric mailbag for The Athletic, Kelly Iko takes a look at Houston’s cap situation going forward, explains why Cam Whitmore is out of the rotation, and considers what the team’s optimal starting lineup would look like. Even though Amen Thompson has thrived in the starting five, Iko thinks it might benefit the Rockets as a whole to move him back to the bench, with Jabari Smith reclaiming his starting spot.
Santi Aldama returned to action on Friday for the Grizzlies following a two-game absence due to a right calf strain and Jaren Jackson Jr., who has missed two games with a left ankle sprain, might not be too far behind him. According to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link), Jackson was on the floor for the team’s shootaround on Friday morning, dribbling and getting up shots. The team said on Tuesday that the big man is considered “week to week.”
Although Mavericks assistant Alex Jenson has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Utah, he’ll finish out the season in Dallas before officially transitioning into that new position with the Utes, he tells NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Rockets’ VanVleet Set To Return, Smith Moving To Bench

February 28th, 2025 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Barring a last-minute setback, Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet will return to action on Saturday against Sacramento, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

VanVleet has missed Houston’s past 11 games due to what the team has referred to as a right ankle strain. The Rockets, who were 32-15 entering the month of February, lost the game in which VanVleet was injured and have gone just 5-6 in the games he has missed, so his return will be a welcome one.

Head coach Ime Udoka indicated on Friday that VanVleet will immediately reclaim his role as Houston’s starting point guard while Amen Thompson, who took over as the primary ball-handler in VanVleet’s absence, will continue to start in the team’s backcourt.

“Me and Amen have had a good synergy,” VanVleet said. “He’s always going to have ball-handling responsibility. We love him pushing the break, getting us into offense. I thought we started to see that when we had a stretch in January when he jumped into the starting lineup. Yeah, we got to keep pushing, getting ready for coming April. We got to get back to playing at the level that we know we’re capable of.”

Thompson first entered the starting lineup in early January when forward Jabari Smith Jr. went down with a fractured hand. Smith, a starter in 190 of 192 career games since being drafted third overall by Houston in 2022, will come off the bench with VanVleet back in action, per Udoka.

While Udoka remains open to making lineup adjustments as needed, his new starting five beginning on Saturday will be VanVleet, Thompson, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun.

“We still have some back-to-backs and time to figure out permanently, but when we’re whole, that’s what it will look like,” Udoka said. “… We still have some fluidity as far as lineups, and obviously the guys that can’t play back-to-backs factor into that. So yeah, continuity with the group that we have played well with, and just take a look at different things and what (Smith) brings us off the bench. And so nothing crazy. And as always, it’s more important who finishes.”

As Lerner relays, Udoka said that Smith was understanding of the decision to move him to the second unit and that he’ll still play a significant role for the club. The third-year forward came off the bench twice in the past week upon returning from his hand injury and played 38 and 33 minutes in those games.

Smith told reporters on Friday that he’s simply happy the Rockets’ veteran leader is ready to return.

“He brings a lot: leadership, a little bit of control out there. We get a little hectic without him,” Smith said of VanVleet. “He’s a great defender, another great three-point shooter to the lineup. He does a lot for us, does everything for us, honestly. So it’s good to have him back.”

Southwest Notes: Powell, Christie, Smith Jr., Bagley

February 25th, 2025 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks won’t have Anthony Davis when they face the Lakers for the first time since the teams’ blockbuster deal that landed Luka Doncic in Los Angeles. They could get another big man back for the showdown. Dwight Powell, who has missed the last 16 games due to a hip injury, has been upgraded as questionable, Marc Stein tweets.

It’s expected that Powell will be active, Stein adds. Powell has appeared in 33 games off the bench this season, though he’s averaged just 7.6 minutes in those appearances.

The Lakers will honor Davis with a video tribute, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Another of the players the Mavericks acquired from the Lakers was guard Max Christie. He has given Dallas a boost since the deal, averaging 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists in eight games. Christie told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears he’ll looking forward to Tuesday’s game but harbors no ill will toward his former team. “I’m not even looking at this game as a ‘revenge game,’” Christie said. “I’m actually looking forward to it from a sense that I get to see old teammates, old colleagues, old coaches. I’m looking forward to just enjoying that game. I want to win, obviously. The Lakers are a playoff team. They’re really, really good. It’s a good test for us as a matchup, as a team as well. But I’m not going in there with any bad blood or any intention of trying to drop 40 on them. I’m just going in there to try to win the game, play my game and let the game come to me.”
Blending Jabari Smith Jr.‘s offensive skills with the current rotation will be a key to the Rockets’ postseason success, Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes. If Houston has any hope of making a deep run, Smith must become more of a focal offensive option, according to Iko. Smith has played two games since recovering from a fractured hand, an injury he suffered on New Year’s Day.
Big man Marvin Bagley III wound up with the Grizzlies in a three-team trade earlier this month. Bagley, the No. 2 pick of the 2018 draft, has only made one brief appearance with Memphis. Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal explores how Bagley might carve out a role with the Grizzlies, his fourth team since entering the league. He’ll be a free agent after the season.

Western Notes: Smith, Thybulle, Kuminga, Nuggets, Suns

February 21st, 2025 at 9:17pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, Rockets forward Jabari Smith returned to action on Friday vs. Minnesota in the team’s first game after the All-Star break. Smith had been out since January 1 due to a fractured hand.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Smith had started each of his first 188 NBA regular season games, but he came off the bench on Friday for the first time in his professional career. As Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle writes, head coach Ime Udoka explained before the contest that he wanted to take advantage of having Tari Eason available on the first end of a back-to-back and didn’t want to throw Smith into the deep end in his first game action in over seven weeks.

“Tari (is) coming off some really good games and getting him to the minutes where we want him to be,” Udoka said. “But it was just a little bit everything. I think easing (Smith) back into it a little bit, not really conditioning-wise, but you see how he looks in this game and everything’s kind of open moving forward.”

While Eason, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and Dillon Brooks made up Houston’s starting five on Friday, Udoka will have some decisions to make once Smith has gotten back to full speed and Fred VanVleet returns from his right ankle injury. The Rockets’ coach said that he hasn’t yet decided what his starting lineup will look like when everyone’s healthy, according to Lerner.

Here are a few more items of interest from around the Western Conference:

Trail Blazers forward Matisse Thybulle, who has yet to play this season due to knee and ankle injuries, has started doing some light 3-on-3 contact work, but hasn’t yet been cleared for 5-on-5 scrimmages, according to head coach Chauncey Billups (Twitter link via Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report). Billups indicated that he isn’t sure how far away Thybulle is from making his season debut.
The Warriors provided an update on Jonathan Kuminga‘s recovery from his right ankle sprain this week, announcing (via Twitter) that he returned to practice on Wednesday. Kuminga has been sidelined since January 4 and head coach Steve Kerr previously stated that he expected the forward to miss the “first few” games after the All-Star break.
According to reporting from Meridian Sport (hat tip to Eurohoops), the Nuggets are hiring former Serbian guard Nenad Miljenovic. It’s unclear what sort of role Miljenovic will have in the organization – Eurohoops refers to it as a “front office’ position – but he has a clear connection to Denver’s franchise player, having spent two years as Nikola Jokic‘s teammate with Mega Basket in Serbia from 2013-15.
In their first game after the All-Star break, the Suns made many of the same mistakes that resulted in six losses in seven games ahead of the break, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Star forward Kevin Durant showed some frustration in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s loss to San Antonio – Phoenix’s fourth in a row — with the Suns’ defense struggling to get stops, barking at head coach Mike Budenholzer, “You need somebody who can guard,” according to Rankin.

Rockets’ Jabari Smith On Track To Return After All-Star Break

February 12th, 2025 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. is targeting a February 21 return from the hand injury that has sidelined him since early January, reports NBA Chris Haynes (Twitter video link).

Assuming Smith hits that target date, he would be back in action for Houston’s first game after the All-Star break, at home vs. the Timberwolves. However, agent Wallace Prather provided a more conservative timeline for his client’s return, telling Haynes, “We are targeting the end of the month.”

Smith has missed Houston’s past 20 games after fracturing his left hand during the team’s shootaround on January 3 ahead of a matchup with Boston. Prior to that injury, he had played a major part in the Rockets’ early-season success, starting the first 33 games of the season for a team that got off to a 22-11 start.

Smith has averaged 11.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 30.9 minutes per game when healthy, with a shooting line of .435/.354/.867. Since he went down, the club has gone just 11-9, having just snapped a six-game losing streak on Sunday against Toronto.

Amen Thompson has taken over Smith’s spot in the starting lineup since Jan. 5 and has thrived in that new role, putting up 17.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game in his past 18 games as a starter.

It will be interesting to see which player is the odd man out of that starting five when Smith returns. The former No. 3 overall pick hasn’t come off the bench in any of his first 188 NBA outings.

Southwest Notes: Murphy, Green, Sochan, Castle, J. Smith

January 18th, 2025 at 8:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pelicans small forward Trey Murphy has developed into more than just an outside shooting threat during his fourth NBA season, writes Rod Walker of NOLA. Murphy, who is starting regularly while Brandon Ingram is sidelined with an injury, is averaging a career-high 21.5 points per game this season. He has also improved other aspects of his game, posting career-best numbers for rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

“I probably would have identified him as playing more like a specialist a year ago,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “But I see his game expanding, which I see as a great sign for the Pelicans and (coach) Willie (Green). Trey is a heckuva player. He’s an elite shooter and you can tell the shooting has added confidence in the rest of his game.”

Walker notes that Murphy has scored at least 30 points in two of the last four games. He has also collected 10 rebounds twice, one short of his career high, and saved two games with late defensive plays — a steal against Chicago and a block against Dallas. In addition, he set a franchise record by making 52 straight free throws before that streak ended Friday night.

“The sky’s the limit,” Dejounte Murray said. “It’s all about opportunity in the NBA. He got his opportunity and he’s not playing with it. He’s showing that he works at his game. He’s showing that he’s a confident guy and he’s also showing that he’s down for the challenge and opportunity.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks are among the teams with interest in Pelicans veteran Javonte Green, sources tell Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (subscription required). Dallas is exploring available wings on the trade market, Afseth adds, and Green is appealing because he can provide help on both ends of the court. A report earlier today said numerous teams are eyeing Green, who could be acquired via the minimum salary exception.
Jeremy Sochan has been ruled out of Sunday’s game at Miami, but the Spurs expect him back on the court soon, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Acting coach Mitch Johnson said Friday that Sochan is “doing great” and is “very close” to returning from a back bruise. Rookie guard Stephon Castle, who replaced Sochan in the starting lineup, is averaging 23 PPG over his last three games. “As a group, we feel confident in the poise that he has and we trust him to go make those plays,” Harrison Barnes said of Castle. “They’re going to put differing matchups on him or whatever, but we him to be aggressive and we need to play offense through him at times.”
Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. has decided against having surgery on his fractured left hand, coach Ime Udoka told reporters before tonight’s game (Twitter link from Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). Udoka adds that letting the injury heal naturally may add a week or so to the recovery process.

Rockets’ Jabari Smith Fractures Hand In Practice

January 3rd, 2025 at 5:29pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. fractured his left hand during Friday’s shootaround, the team announced today (Twitter link via Shams Charania of ESPN).

The 6’11” big is expected to be sidelined for four-to-eight weeks, according to the Rockets.

The 21-year-old is averaging 11.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per game this season across 33 contests, all starts. He has registered .435/.354/.867 shooting splits.

Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle reports that Smith will have to undergo surgery to address the break in his non-shooting hand. The timing of that procedure hinges on the club getting another opinion on the injury, which will help Houston determine the severity.

With Smith sidelined during a critical part of the 2024/25 season, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka may look to replace the Auburn product with a defensive-oriented reserve forward like Tari Eason or Amen Thompson.

At 22-11 on the year, the Rockets currently occupy the Western Conference’s No. 3 overall seed, and are just a half-game behind the second-seeded Grizzlies.

Texas Notes: Mavericks, Smith, Sengun, Jones

November 17th, 2024 at 3:36pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Mavericks’ 110-93 victory over the Spurs on Saturday ended a four-game losing streak, which included an 0-3 road trip. At 6-7, Dallas is still struggling to find consistency just a few months after making a run to the 2024 Finals, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

“(The players) have things that go on outside of the arena, and that’s always monitored (but) those things aren’t shared publicly,” head coach Jason Kidd said prior to the victory over San Antonio. “This has been an emotional week, starting in Denver, having an opportunity to win there and just the buildup of the game against Golden State with Klay (Thompson). We could be a little bit more concerned of not just the buildup, but what the effects are.”

As Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com notes, Dallas has been getting the best efforts from the opposition, night after night. New additions to the club are a bit perplexed by the club’s lack of a clutch gene this season.

“We’re still trying to figure it out,” small forward Naji Marshall said. “Stuff happens. Obviously it didn’t go in our direction, all we can do is get better from here. It’s still early in the season… We’re just having a rough patch right now, but we’ll definitely get through it.”

There’s more out of the Lone Star State:

2022 lottery Rockets lottery pick Jabari Smith Jr. enjoyed something of a breakout performance in a 125-104 NBA Cup victory over the Clippers on Friday, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The 6’11” big man, who had averaged 10.5 points per game on 38.1% shooting in his first 12 games (all starts), scored 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Fourth-year Rockets center Alperen Sengun continues to develop his game after signing a five-year, $185MM extension with the team last month, Feigen writes in another piece. Sengun notched his first triple-double of the season in Houston’s victory over the Clippers on Friday. His defensive growth has been a primary focus. “I do (a) good job,” Sengun said. “I do my best on defense, trying to help my teammates. Everybody is trying their best on defense. I’m just trying to help them more.” On Houston’s third-ranked defense, opposing players are connecting on a scant 42.9% of their looks when being guarded by Sengun. Head coach Ime Udoka singled out and praised the big man’s rim protection acumen.
After a 12-game absence, Spurs reserve guard Tre Jones came back from an ankle injury in the team’s loss to the Mavericks on Saturday, notes Jeff Macdonald of The San Antonio Express-News. The 6’1″ Duke product scored three points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field, while also contributing four dimes and three boards.

Texas Notes: Eason, Smith, Rockets, Thompson, Dinwiddie

November 3rd, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There was little doubt the Rockets would pick up the 2025/26 contract options of Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. However, both players expressed their appreciation, as The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen writes.

Eason had leg surgery in March.

“I’m very happy about that,” Eason said of the option decision. “I love this group, I love this city, I love this team. The fact that I have the opportunity to continue to be involved with these guys is truly a blessing. I’m very happy. Missing all that time, there’s a lot of questions, a lot of what-ifs. First major surgery for me, first injury for me, there’s a lot of question marks. But I think that they saw how serious I was in my work coming back and just how ready I was and eager I was to get back with the team. Seeing my work ethic, (the option decision showed) just the trust and faith was there.”

Smith also voiced his gratitude.

“It’s a blessing, everything is a blessing,” Smith said. “It’s just how you look at it. I’m really excited to know it’s another year I have in the league. Just trying to build on it.”

We have more on the Texas teams:

The Rockets are near the bottom of the league in shooting percentage but are still scoring at a respectable rate by getting offensive rebounds and forcing turnovers, according to Feigen. Smith isn’t concerned about the team’s 40.9 field goal percentage. “Just keep shooting,” he said. “It can be like that sometimes. I feel like we’re getting good shots. When I rewatch the games, it looks like all my shots are wide open. Looks like everybody’s shooting the right type of shots. It’s just a matter of making them, and I know that’s going to come. Five games into the season, you can’t overreact to it too much. We know we can make shots. We know we can shoot the ball. It’s just a matter of keep trusting and keep getting good shots.”
Klay Thompson is taking 12.8 shots per game, his lowest total since his rookie season. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd wants Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to get the ball in Thompon’s hands more often. “We’ve got to make sure that Klay’s involved,” Kidd said, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “I think here of late, you look at Kyrie and Luka, their attempts have definitely gone up. It’s just about being conscious of who’s on the floor. And when Klay’s on the floor, we need to make sure that we use him the right way.”
Spencer Dinwiddie‘s role with the Mavs has been shifting game-t0-game, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com notes. Dinwiddie, who is playing on a one-year contract, is trying to adjust. “To be honest, we’re figuring it out at the moment,” he said of his role. “I’ve been first off the bench some games and I’ve been told I wasn’t going to play some games. It’s early and we’re figuring all that out. I look forward to helping anyway I can.”

Rockets Exercise Contract Options On Four Players

October 31st, 2024 at 8:05am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets have picked up their 2025/26 four-year options on Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason’s contracts, as well as their third-year options on Amen Thompson’s and Cam Whitmore’s contracts, according to the Houston’s Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen.

None of the moves are surprising, considering Smith is a starter and the three others are second-unit players. Smith, the third pick of the 2022 draft, will make $12,350,392 next season. Eason, the 17th pick of the same draft, will bring in $5,675,766. Both will be eligible for rookie scale extensions next offseason.

Thompson, the fourth pick of last year’s draft, will make $9,690,212 next season. Whitmore, the No. 20 pick in that draft, will earn $3,539,976.

Houston has been busy making commitments to its young players. Alperen Sengun signed a five-year extension on Oct. 21, while Jalen Green inked a three-year deal on the same day.

Smith is currently averaging 11.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game with Eason, Thompson and Whitmore are contributing a combined 21.6 PPG off the bench.