The Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets squared off against each other in Thursday night’s NBA Summer League game.
That meant that last month’s number one draft pick, Paolo Banchero of the Magic, was set to face off against the number three pick, Jabari Smith Jr. of the Rockets.
The game was a lot of fun, partly because of this much-hyped matchup.
Asked Jabari Smith Jr. about his offensive involvement: "I feel like I could have been more involved, just off of me. Crashing the offensive glass, finding more ways to get involved. That's gonna come with me learning the offense, learning a new system." pic.twitter.com/yd6XhFXlIr
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) July 8, 2022
Smith was proud – but not 100% satisfied – with his work on Thursday night.
Following the game, he said, “I feel like I could have been more involved, just off of me. Crashing the offensive glass, finding more ways to get involved. That’s gonna come with me learning the offense, learning a new system.”
Smith didn’t have a stunning night but there were some highlights there.
Banchero Vs Smith
Banchero ended the evening on a high, putting up 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.
He hit multiple difficult jumps and was also smooth with his passes too.
He looked like a number one pick.
As for Smith, he had a more difficult night but walked away with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, going 4-of-10 on shooting.
He has room for improvement, there is no doubt about that, but Smith did some good work.
The number three pick was strong defensively and used his length and size to his advantage.
One of the things that stood out about Smith is that he wasn’t showy and wasn’t selfish and was intent on working with his team.
That might not make for flashy plays but it could lead to some wins.
One wonders what’s going on in Smith’s head as the NBA season looms: he was predicted to be the number one pick in the draft but eventually fell to third.
Perhaps that’s bruised his ego or maybe it’s given him more reason to fight hard and surpass expectations.
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