(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
On Friday night in Las Vegas, the basketball world was tuned into the NBA Summer League, with French phenom and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama set to make his debut for the San Antonio Spurs.
Unfortunately, Wembanyama’s debut was disappointing, to say the least, with the international superstar unable to make much of an impact in his first game in the Summer League.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson of the Portland Trail Blazers and No. 4 overall pick Amen Thompson of the Houston Rockets went down with injuries in the previous game.
Although nothing really seemed to go right on Friday night with the basketball world watching, there was a thrilling finish to the Blazers and Rockets game, with second-year forward Jabari Smith Jr. putting on a show and drilling a game-winning shot at the buzzer.
Smith, who proved his worth in his first season with the Rockets last year, was asked why he’s playing in the Summer League, and he had a relatively simple and direct answer to that question, according to Jason Gatlin, via NBA Central.
“I’m 20 years old. Why wouldn’t I play? We were 22-60 last year. My rookie year wasn’t perfect, so why not get out here and get reps, play with my new teammates and coaches.”
– Jabari Smith Jr. on playing in the summer league
(Via @JTGatlin ) pic.twitter.com/p6CORF9PFv
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 8, 2023
In the modern NBA, a lot of caution is used when it comes to star players or players perceived to be stars in the near future, like Smith.
That said, Houston not playing Smith in the Summer League wouldn’t come with much criticism, but he seems to have an old-school approach to playing basketball and knows he can benefit from playing in the annual tournament.
Smith will help lead a talented young team in Houston next season, with him and Thompson joining the likes of Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Kevin Porter Jr., and Cam Whitmore.
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