In their first trip to the NBA playoffs in five seasons, the Houston Rockets lost a first-round series to the Golden State Warriors in seven games. For Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., that should be the springboard for Houston's next advancement in a climb that started after the team went 22-60 in his rookie season.
"I think the expectations should be a championship," Smith said of the Rockets' 2025-26 outlook. "I think everybody around here, everybody in the organization feels we're capable of that, and it's something that you shouldn't sugarcoat, something that you want to express and know that we're trying to do that. And that's what we're trying to do. We feel like we're ready for it. Got a taste of the playoffs. We know what it takes. We have the team for it, have the coaching staff for it, have the support from the fans. So why not? That's what we're shooting for."
Smith made his remarks on Monday, four days after Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet had surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. VanVleet's season-ending injury would seem a barricade to Smith's championship expectations.
But Houston made an addition before the subtraction of VanVleet from their lineup: The Rockets acquired 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant on July 6 in a trade that involved seven teams.
"Being able to work out with him, see how hard he goes, see his everyday routine is just something that's just going to help me in the long run," Smith said. "Spending this time that I have got to spend with him, I've already learned a lot, so I feel like I'm just excited to keep learning with him, excited to play with him, excited to push him. It's going to be some fun."
As a 6-foot-11 forward, Durant could be viewed as a threat to the playing time for Smith, a 6-11 forward.
In his first two seasons after joining Houston from Auburn as the third pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Smith started all 155 games in which he had played. Smith started the first 33 games of the 2024-25 season until he broke a bone in his left hand at practice and did not play between Jan. 1 and Feb. 21. When he returned, Smith started six of Houston's remaining 27 regular-season games.
"I mean, I'm expecting it," Smith said about returning to regular-starter status. "It's something that I've been working on, something that I feel like I deserve, something that I'm going to show that I deserve.
"But at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. It's something that you can see (Rockets coach) Ime (Udoka) really don't care about. He going to play who playing. So this, it's a small issue. It's a small question that everybody has. But at the end of the day, we a team. At the end of the day, we going to compete with the five that's on the floor and that's going to be what it is."
Udoka said Houston's lineup could "go a multitude of ways," including a "bully-ball" look with Durant and Smith playing together at the forwards or even as a super-sized shooting guard/small forward combination.
"For the most part, depending on what position they're playing, somebody's going to have an advantage," Udoka said on Wednesday. "They both can play inside, can play outside and do a lot of things with the ball, and their versatility will help each other. I kind of go back to my playing days with Orlando. You look at Rashard Lewis and Hedo (Turkoglu), one of those guys had an advantage on a nightly basis with the four man on them and vice versa. So they could do some things like that.
"And I think Jabari's been a sponge with (Durant) for the last few months and soaking up, working out together and learning some of the things that he does well, regardless of him taking his natural step this summer as well. So like I said, somebody should have an advantage on a nightly basis, especially if we play them at the three and the four or they could have at the two or the three."
During his third NBA season, Smith averaged 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists. In his NBA career, Smith has averaged 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 212 regular-season games.
"I feel like I haven't shown my best yet," Smith said. "I haven't shown what I'm going to be, so it's time to show it. And the coaches believe in me. My teammates believe in me. So I'm ready to show it."
Smith had one season, at $12.3 million, remaining on his rookie deal, when he signed a five-year, $122 million extension in July that could keep him with the Rockets through the 2030-31 season.
A first-round draft pick can sign an extension for as many as five years with his team after his third season. Smith became the first player from the 2022 NBA Draft to sign an extension.
"It meant a lot," Smith said. "It gave me some time to just think back and look at where it all started, look at this dream I had when I was a little kid and wanted to be in the NBA, wanted to be in the NBA for a long time. And it's something that definitely gave me some uh satisfaction. But, you know, something that I obviously want to look at as an accomplishment, but also grow from it.
"I want to be here for the rest of my career. I've stated that a lot. I just want to grow. I want to bring Houston to that winning culture, keep them here. So I'm excited to be here for the long run. I love the support the fans have given me. I love this coaching staff. I love everything about the team. So I'm excited to be here."
The Rockets tip off their four-game preseason schedule against the Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. CDT Monday at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Smith will play in Alabama again on Oct. 14, when the Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans square off in an NBA preseason game at 7 p.m. CDT at Legacy Arena in Birmingham.