
In an awful season by record, one of the lone bright spots of late for the struggling Houston Rockets has been improved play by Jabari Smith Jr., their top rookie (No. 3 overall) from the first round of the NBA’s 2022 draft class. Now, his status appears to be in doubt.
Smith left early in Wednesday’s loss to Charlotte — Houston’s 12th in a row, the longest by any team in the league during the 2022-23 season — after turning his right ankle in the third quarter.