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In the month of April, Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. committed at least two backcourt turnovers late in close games.
One occurred in a narrow regular-season victory over the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks, while the second came in Houston’s third playoff game versus the Los Angeles Lakers. That Game 3 turnover ignited a sequence in which the Rockets blew a six-point lead with under 35 seconds to play, and they went on to lose in overtime.
To say the least, that devastating home collapse proved pivotal in what became a 4-2 series loss in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
In both cases, with Houston leading by six points, the turnover occurred because Smith attempted to pass the ball prematurely or unnecessarily. Ime Udoka, head coach of the Rockets, noted that simply holding or keeping the ball was an option.
Smith is a good free-throw shooter, so it’s not as if he was trying to avoid being fouled. Instead, it seemed that he didn’t want to face a pressing defender and risk having the ball stolen.
With that in mind, Smith’s offseason focal point shouldn’t come as a surprise. On ESPN’s Chiney Today podcast, Smith said of his ongoing work:
The complete episode can be viewed below.
Smith is just 23 years old, so there is certainly still time for him to improve at this apparent deficiency and become more confident as a ball-handler.
Considering that Smith remains one of Houston’s most important defensive rebounders, it would be a useful skill to acquire. Should an opponent miss a clutch-time shot, Smith’s rebounding proficiency means that he’s likely to initially hold the ball on Houston’s ensuing possession. Ideally, he wouldn’t always feel the need to immediately pass it away, thereby risking a turnover.
And in the frontcourt, late-game defenses will often try to overplay versus a strong ball-handler, such as VanVleet or Marcus Smart, or a dynamic scorer like Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun. In turn, that can make it more likely for a supporting piece — like Smith — to have the ball funneled his way.
The hope is that in the 2026-27 season, the Auburn product will be better equipped to handle those types of scenarios. As Smith pointed out, better ball-handling could also help him get to his preferred shooting spots more frequently throughout each game, which could lead to superior halfcourt efficiency.
Training camp begins for Smith and the Rockets in late September. Houston is coming off consecutive seasons with a 52-30 record before losing in the first round of the playoffs, and the Rockets are hoping to move at least one step further in the upcoming campaign.
Smith is coming off a year in which he averaged a career-high 15.8 points (45.0% FG, 36.3% on 3-pointers) and 6.9 rebounds per game, and he is expected to again start at power forward while remaining a key part of Houston’s winning formula.
More: ‘Horrendous mistakes’: Rockets choke Game 3 vs. Lakers in epic fashion
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. turns offseason focus to ball handling
Continue reading...
One occurred in a narrow regular-season victory over the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks, while the second came in Houston’s third playoff game versus the Los Angeles Lakers. That Game 3 turnover ignited a sequence in which the Rockets blew a six-point lead with under 35 seconds to play, and they went on to lose in overtime.
To say the least, that devastating home collapse proved pivotal in what became a 4-2 series loss in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
In both cases, with Houston leading by six points, the turnover occurred because Smith attempted to pass the ball prematurely or unnecessarily. Ime Udoka, head coach of the Rockets, noted that simply holding or keeping the ball was an option.
Smith is a good free-throw shooter, so it’s not as if he was trying to avoid being fouled. Instead, it seemed that he didn’t want to face a pressing defender and risk having the ball stolen.
With that in mind, Smith’s offseason focal point shouldn’t come as a surprise. On ESPN’s Chiney Today podcast, Smith said of his ongoing work:
The complete episode can be viewed below.
Smith is just 23 years old, so there is certainly still time for him to improve at this apparent deficiency and become more confident as a ball-handler.
Considering that Smith remains one of Houston’s most important defensive rebounders, it would be a useful skill to acquire. Should an opponent miss a clutch-time shot, Smith’s rebounding proficiency means that he’s likely to initially hold the ball on Houston’s ensuing possession. Ideally, he wouldn’t always feel the need to immediately pass it away, thereby risking a turnover.
And in the frontcourt, late-game defenses will often try to overplay versus a strong ball-handler, such as VanVleet or Marcus Smart, or a dynamic scorer like Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun. In turn, that can make it more likely for a supporting piece — like Smith — to have the ball funneled his way.
The hope is that in the 2026-27 season, the Auburn product will be better equipped to handle those types of scenarios. As Smith pointed out, better ball-handling could also help him get to his preferred shooting spots more frequently throughout each game, which could lead to superior halfcourt efficiency.
Training camp begins for Smith and the Rockets in late September. Houston is coming off consecutive seasons with a 52-30 record before losing in the first round of the playoffs, and the Rockets are hoping to move at least one step further in the upcoming campaign.
Smith is coming off a year in which he averaged a career-high 15.8 points (45.0% FG, 36.3% on 3-pointers) and 6.9 rebounds per game, and he is expected to again start at power forward while remaining a key part of Houston’s winning formula.
More: ‘Horrendous mistakes’: Rockets choke Game 3 vs. Lakers in epic fashion
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. turns offseason focus to ball handling
Continue reading...
