Is Jabari Smith Jr. playing tonight against Cavaliers in NBA Summer League? (17th July 2023)

Jabari Smith Jr. was the third overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He has been stellar for the Houston Rockets in this year's Summer League, however, he will not be playing tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Smith played the first two NBA Summer League games for the Rockets, but since then, he has been shut down and will not participate tonight.

Jabari Smith Jr. helped the Rockets earn a 2-0 record in this year's Summer League. Over two games, Smith averaged 35.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. He proved to be a prolific scorer and it will be interesting to see how he performs in the upcoming season.

In the Rockets' first game against the Trail Blazers, Smith scored 33 points and more impressively hit a buzzer-beater to win the game.

Here is a look at his insane shot:

It's hard to top that, but Smith did. In his second outing, he was even more impressive and dropped 38 points against the Detroit Pistons.

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Coach Ben Sullivan praises Jabari Smith Jr.

There is no doubt that Jabari Smith Jr. was stellar in the two games that he participated in this year's Summer League. It seems that Smith might've earned himself more minutes for the regular season as his performances didn't go unnoticed.

Rockets Summer League coach Ben Sullivan enjoyed Smith's performances. He was generous in his praise when speaking to reporters after the Pistons game:

"It shows that he is growing as a player. He has a lot of stuff he is good at. And now, he is putting it all together. He has had a couple of good games, and I could not be happier with the way he is playing."

As for Houston fans, they will get to see more of Smith come preseason or else during the regular season. Smith will most likely be a starter for the Houston Rockets in the power forward position.

Last season Smith averaged 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds on 40.8% shooting from the floor. There is good reason to believe that he will be better this season, as the youngster (20 years old) continues to develop his game and grow into his role. With the young core at Houston, Smith could be set for a breakout season.