9 of 19 three-pointers in 3 games! Nearly 50% of field goals! The Rockets’ top shooter is revealed? The 22-year-old forward’s contract is at a bargain price

On October 15, with a last-minute layup by Rockets backup guard Aaron Holiday, the Rockets finally narrowly defeated the Pelicans by two points on the road and won their third consecutive preseason victory. The Rockets have the last of their four preseason games, which is October 17th. The Rockets will challenge the Atlanta Hawks away from home. Not long ago, the Hawks had a confrontation with the Rockets on the road. Although Durant did not play in that game, the Rockets still easily defeated their opponents.

If they win the next game, the Rockets will enter the new regular season with a record of four wins. In the regular season schedule, the Rockets will challenge the defending champion Thunder away from home on October 22, one week later. This is also the Rockets' regular season debut, and it will also be Durant's regular season debut for the Rockets.

In fact, in this game against the Pelicans, the Rockets' starting lineup has changed. Sheppard was moved to the substitute lineup, while veteran Adams became the Rockets' starting center, and Shen Jing served as the Rockets' main power forward. The Rockets' use of a big lineup as their starting lineup was a bold attempt by Uduka. In this game, Jabari Smith Jr., who switched to small forward, looked very active. He made 4 of 10 three-pointers in the game.

Smith Jr. made 7 of 16 shots and 8 of 8 free throws in 22 minutes, scoring a game-high 26 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, as well as a steal and a block. His plus-minus value is as high as +23, so Smith's three-point shooting percentage in this game is as high as 40%. Throughout the three games, Smith Jr. performed very well at both the power forward and small forward positions. After three games, Smith Jr. has started all games, and his improvement in shooting can be said to be considerable.

After three games, Smith Jr. took a total of 19 three-pointers and hit 9 of them. His three-point shooting rate was as high as 47%. In the league, a 47% three-point shooting rate means that he is already a top shooter.

Although the opponent's defense was not so strict and tough in the three preseason games, Smith Jr. was able to score 9 three-pointers in the three preseason games and increase his three-point shooting percentage to nearly 50%. This is a huge improvement. In the regular season last season, Smith Jr.'s three-point shooting percentage was only 35%. Although it is not particularly bad, there is still a lot of room for improvement for a tall shooter like Smith Jr., and now Smith Jr. has finally developed his three-point shooting.

When he was at Auburn University, Smith Jr. was the first core player on the team, and he was also the best shooter on the team. Today, Smith Jr. can indeed get more open shooting opportunities on the offensive end next to Shen Jing and Durant. And now Smith is getting to the basket more often, as evidenced by eight of eight free throws in the game.

Smith Jr. has now become the Rockets' out-and-out top shooter. In the preseason, he was the Rockets' most stable outside three-point firepower. In terms of protecting the basket, Smith Jr. also made some achievements. Whether it was blocking shots or rebounding, he performed very normally. Smith Jr., who has switched to a small forward position, can receive passes from the outside as well as passes from Shen Jing inside to score easy layups.

Beside Durant, Smith will face less defensive pressure, so this is also the reason why he can score easily and freely in three games. With a large number of open shots, Smith will naturally score more points. It can be said that the Rockets renewed the 22-year-old power forward Smith Jr. this summer with a five-year contract worth 122 million yuan, which is really a stroke of genius.