5 NBA players primed for a breakout season in 2023

NBA players primed for a breakout season No. 2: Jabari Smith Jr., Rockets

Jabari Smith Jr. had a wildly inefficient and inconsistent rookie season but showed flashes of the player he can be when he puts it all together at the end of last season.

And in the Summer League, it felt like Smith took the momentum he gained from the end of the season and finally began putting it together. He absolutely dominated the competition, even hitting a miraculous buzzer-beater versus the Blazers.

The talent and skillset are so easy to see when watching Smith. He was widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick before the Magic ultimately decided to take Paolo Banchero, despite Banchero never even working out for the team.

After a rookie year filled with ups and downs, Smith himself has made it a goal to be more consistent and win Most Improved Player in 2023. The 6-foot-10 forward has a 7-foot-2 wingspan that enables him to shoot over virtually any defender and he has an extremely pure jump shot.

Entering his second season with some NBA experience under his belt should go a long way for the 20-year-old. Not to mention, the coaching upgrade from Stephen Silas to Ime Udoka should pay dividends for Smith and the rest of the young Rockets players moving forward.

It is a crowded frontcourt between Smith, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Dillon Brooks, and Cam Whitmore, but the Rockets are going to give Jabari Smith Jr. every opportunity to build off the momentum he developed between the end of last season and Summer League.