The Summer League clash between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets was a marquee one, as Scoot Henderson faced Amen Thompson. Both men, unfortunately, had to exit the contest, with Scoot injuring his shoulder while Thompson suffered a sprained ankle.
Their injuries were a dampener, but in their absence, Jabari Smith Jr. stole the show. The former third-overall pick had a terrific second half with 29 points, and he capped it off with an incredible game-winning buzzer-beater.
JABARI SMITH JR. GAME WINNER. 🔥🔥🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 8, 2023
NBA fans reacted to Smith’s insane shot.
One believes Smith is him.
it’s official he’s him
— Chri$ (@ChrisWithTheW) July 8, 2023
One fan thinks Smith is Baby Kevin Durant.
Baby Durant
— Nico (@screwstonic) July 8, 2023
Smith will become a special player someday as per one fan.
He’s gonna be something special
— Jaquishis Maceshuis (@JoseGom25712969) July 8, 2023
A fan thinks Smith is the best player from his 2022 Draft class.
Best player in draft
— Jaquishis Maceshuis (@JoseGom25712969) July 8, 2023
This was the greatest Summer League game ever for one fan.
Greatest summer league game oat
— DakSZN (@FergSZNN) July 8, 2023
That was a truly wild finish as the Rockets stormed back to steal the game. Smith had a very slow start but was immense in that second half. He finished the night with a game-high 33 points to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal.
Jabari Smith Jr. Looks To Have A Big Sophomore Season
Heading into the 2022 NBA Draft, Smith was viewed by many as the best player of his class. He was expected to be selected first overall, but slipped to the third pick and didn’t seem all that happy about it.
He would have been keen to show it was a mistake to not draft him but while his rookie season was good, it was nothing too special. Smith averaged 12.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.5 SPG, and 0.9 BPG as he made the All-Rookie Second Team.
He had flashes of excellent play though and the expectation would be that he would break out in 2023-24. It’s only Summer League, but the signs are there that he could do it and the Rockets would certainly be hoping for that to be the case.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
