Jabari Smith out four to eight weeks after breaking hand

The Rockets (17-9) still don’t have a player averaging 20 points. They were led by Amen Thompson’s 19 off the bench. Dillon Brooks, who spent portions of the game guarding his Team Canada teammate Gilgeous-Alexander, finished with 14 points, as did Jabari Smith Jr. Houston shot just 36.5 percent from the field as a team (35-96). Fred VanVleet, the lone Rockets player to win an NBA championship, struggled to the tune of 3-of-15 shooting and 1-of-11 on 3s. “Sometimes, it comes down to making shots,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “Individuals gotta shoot the ball a little bit better. We were in a good spot, but you put a lot of pressure on your defense when you’re not making shots.” -via New York Times / December 15, 2024

Udoka doesn’t expect that type of defensive dominance from every player on the Rockets’ roster. But the standards for attention to detail, intensity and toughness do not waver for anyone. “That’s just the bottom line with him,” Rockets power forward Jabari Smith Jr. told ESPN. “He lets you play free, but he’s going to expect you to play hard. He’s going to expect you to defend, and if you’re not doing that, you’re probably not going to be in the game.” -via ESPN / December 11, 2024

David Hardisty: Ime Udoka on what he wants to see from Jabari Smith Jr. to get him going. “The things he did well last year, and the areas he’s grown in, offensive rebounding, defending, being disruptive that way… You take the right (shots), you’ll eventually come out of a shooting slump.” pic.x.com/gwMf1G06f4 -via Twitter @clutchfans / November 15, 2024