LAS VEGAS — After Houston lost Thursday’s opener to Orlando, summer league head coach Rick Higgins said he needed to do a better job of getting his rookie Jabari Smith Jr. the ball. In a reciprocating fashion, Smith said he realized that he needed to do a better job of getting to ideal spots on the floor so his teammates could get him the ball.
In Saturday’s 90-88 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, getting shots for Smith was not the problem. It was making them that plagued him for three quarters. Smith started the game going 0-for-4 in the first quarter and did not make any shot until 7:38 remained in the second quarter.
His second made basket came after he blocked Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, and raced up the floor to hit a 3-pointer, only seven seconds later. Smith, the No. 3 pick, finished the half going 2-for-10 and followed that up with a 1-for-6 third quarter.
