Jabari Smith Jr. and James Harden are already Adidas teammates, and if the former MVP and perennial All-Star candidate has his way, they might be teammates with the Houston Rockets next season.
Smith, 20, finished his first NBA season averaging 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds while making the All-Rookie second team. But the Rockets went just 22-60 as a team. With significant salary cap flexibility this season, a reunion with a veteran such as Harden has frequently been rumored as a path to accelerate the rebuild.
It sounds as if Smith, one of Houston’s top prospects after being selected at No. 3 in the 2022 NBA draft, wouldn’t be opposed to such an arrangement.
While attending the recent Adidas Eurocamp 2023 in Treviso, Italy, Smith spoke with HoopsHype’s Dionysis Aravantinos about a number of subjects. One of those, naturally, was Harden.
Here’s how that exchange went:
Q: There have been many reports that James Harden is thinking of signing with the Rockets this offseason. What do you make of that?
Smith: That’d be great. The team would want a Hall of Famer. It’s promising, but we’re not just banking on that. We’re still focused on us and how we can improve as a team.
Q: What would be your pitch to Harden for him to join Houston again?
Smith: Come back home. He did so much for that city; there’s still so much love for him in Houston. It would definitely feel like home for him if he came back.
Q: James Harden. Jalen Green. Jabari Smith. Alperen Sengun. How high does that team go?
Smith: That’s a great four you just said right there. I feel like the sky’s the limit with a lineup like that. The talent is there, but it’d be on us to put it all together.
The complete Q&A exchange can be read here.
Caught up with Jabari Smith for @HoopsHype to talk about his rookie year, the 2023-24 Rockets and James Harden rumors: https://t.co/xuPNbkq6GG
— Dionysis Aravantinos (@AravantinosDA) June 11, 2023
