Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr. didn’t work out for the Rockets in the 2022 pre-draft process, since Houston was picking at No. 3 overall in the first round and Smith was widely projected to go first to Orlando.
When Smith unexpectedly fell two slots on draft night thanks to the Magic going with Duke forward Paolo Banchero, instead, he was visibly frustrated in the green room. But that wasn’t due to anything negative about his new NBA home. Instead, it was understandable confusion in the moment based on falling lower than what was projected by experts.
Smith spoke glowingly of the Rockets and Houston after his selection — and in a new interview with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon, his agent, Wallace Prather, confirmed the authenticity of that sentiment.
“Jabari ended up in a place that fits who he is,” Prather told ESPN regarding his rookie client. “There was nothing but excitement on Jabari’s part about going to Houston. We love their young core. We love the city. We love the passion of their fan base.”
Paolo Banchero & Jabari Smith make their summer league debuts against each other tonight (ESPN, 10 ET)
Here’s a behind the scenes look at what went down in Orlando, Houston & Brooklyn on a draft day that will forever link the two: (w/@espn_macmahon) https://t.co/WKMyG8Ehxb
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 7, 2022
As further evidence of Smith’s comfort with the Rockets, Prather reportedly gave Smith’s pre-draft medical reports to Houston once word began to leak out on draft week that Banchero could be in play for the Magic. By contrast, that’s not a step that representatives of Gonzaga big man Chet Holmgren (taken at No. 2 by Oklahoma City) were willing to take with the Rockets, according to the latest ESPN report.
“When [the odds] shifted, we noted it,” Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said to ESPN. “If people are willing to put their money on it, especially when you see a big swing like that, it feels like maybe somebody knows something.”
In the chaotic final hours, MacMahon and Windhorst report that Stone held exploratory talks with the Magic about potentially trading up to No. 1, based on potentially lacking enough time to review Holmgren’s medical information in scenarios where he fell to No. 3. However, Orlando’s asking price was too high, and the end result was clearly acceptable to the Rockets — who reportedly had Smith at No. 1 on their draft board.
Banchero will lead the summer Magic versus Smith and the Rockets in Thursday’s opening game of the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League. Tipoff is set for 9:00 p.m. CDT, and the game will be aired on ESPN.
