I can't wait for Jabari to get back. I'm tired of watching Dillion try to guard guys who are 5-6 inches taller.
right after Jabari got hurt the rockets got hot from deep so kept winning, and the guys defensive principles fell off. Now we are trying to refocus on defense but it's not working, because jabari was a huge part of that defense. His versatility is huge. Jock Landale gave up how many open threes last night. They were hunting him last night, same with Sengun. If Jabari was in there, they wouldn't be hunting him. defense is only as good as your weakest link.
He also doesn't rebound. How many times have we seen crucial rebounds get past him in 4th quarters recently because he ball watches and doesn't hustle?
I'm hearing the Rockets tried to send JaBenchy out for Luka Garza but the Mavs didn't want to pay his next contract
We'll see. As of right now, the Rockets are in free fall. All they really need is a reliable 4th quarter scorer. That player isn't on staff right now.
Dude Brooks is an exceptionally bad rebounder. If you look at players who a high proportion of their shots are 3's - like Jabari and Dillon - you simply can't ask these guys to get big rebounds. You're asking them to be away from the basket more than most. Even a guy like JJJ is being asked to space the floor all the time, it's logical he's not going to get big rebounds. Among stretch PF's Jabari is a good rebounder and good at stocks. Brooks rebounding numbers at the 4 are bad for a SF even. It's not comparable. Our rebounding and defense has taken a major hit since Jabari went down even though we replaced him with a better defender and rebounder. The reason is because Amen actually replaced Brooks (upgrade in defense and rebounds at SF) and Brooks replaced Jabari at PF (downgrade in transition, stocks, rebounds and defense on bigger players). With Sengun/Jabari PF/C combo we're an elite rebounding and defensive team. You may not like his style - being a more perimeter oriented PF - but that's his role and we do better when he starts.
I know Ime won’t bench Dillon in favor of Bari, but besides that big game vs the Celtics, Dillon’s game has fallen off in 2025. He’s still pretty young but for whatever reason his lateral movement, never a huge strength, has gotten significantly worse—or he’s just gotten more exposed. The effort is still there, the physicality is still there, but he’s a bigger black hole than Cam and is one of the worst rebounders on our team. He is still a player that gives more than he takes, but Jabari is bigger, younger, and cares just as much. And is significantly better at moving the ball on offense. Just my two cents
He's guarded by PF's and C's recently, he should have the speed advantage but on most nights he still doesn't. Sticks out like sore thumb on a team that is still hungry to run even more. His shooting is a blessing right now though.
Agree 100%. What's really weird to me is that some people wanted to trade him. He is ranked 4th in the NBA in defensive rating for players with 30 or more minutes per game. He's young, and is only going to get better. His defensive rating of 105.9 is better than Sengun 108.1, Brooks 108.7, and Thompson 109.1. If you think we aren't missing his defense right now think again. We could also use his 3 PT shooting.
Not sure if it's a hustle issue with Brooks. But it is true that he's a terrible rebounder. You would think with his physicality, he should have grabbed more rebounds from his position. Ironic that Udoka chided his players for getting only 3 rebounds playing like 30 minutes. Yet he trusted Brooks almost unconditionally. Jabari is a good rebounder. Even though he might not have elite rebounding numbers yet, he is disruptive on the offensive glass. A lot of times, he would keep the ball alive by preventing the opponent from securing the rebound and one of his teammates ended up with the ball. Jabari and Dillon bring different things on offense and defense. They are kind of even overall. Rebounding is the decisive factor that makes me prefer Jabari over Brooks if Amen is going to remain as a starter.
Last season, when the Rockets went on a long winning streak without Alpi, people were theorizing that the team was better without him because it opened up Jalen's game. Then this season when Jabari went down and Amen was inserted into the starting lineup, everyone thought he was the key to their success both this year and late last season. Now we're belatedly figuring out that Jabari was the most important piece this entire time. He provides strong interior and perimeter defense, makes up for Alpi's deficiencies, adds depth to the team and enables the Terror Twins duo to wreak havoc off the bench, and keeps the other team's defense honest with his outside shooting.
“Jabari Smith Jr will get looked at before the break to see if he can be cleared for contact.” Spoiler
