In a newly released podcast episode of The Young Man and the Three, fourth-year forward Jabari Smith Jr. reflects on his journey within the Houston Rockets and the NBA.
During a conversation with host Tommy Alter and New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III, Smith spoke on a variety of topics related to his own personal growth and that of players around him in Houston.
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Perhaps his strongest endorsement was for 23-year-old big man Alperen Sengun, who earned his first All-Star berth last season. When asked about the Turkish center’s growth and what makes him able to control games at such a young age, Smith said:
It’s how much better he’s gotten. He’s so skilled. I’ve seen him since his second year, and I’ve seen him now through his fourth. He’s gotten more athletic, and he’s gotten stronger. His physical play, and what he imposes to other people… it wasn’t like that two years ago. He wasn’t just burying people.
If you (opposing defense) get a switch, you’re dead. You’ve got to double, and some teams don’t let him play one-on-one in the post. You can’t. He’s just gotten so much better at reading the game… and making a simple play. People judge him so strongly and forget that he’s, like, 22 years old (Sengun’s age last season). The weight he has on his shoulders as being one of our best players, it’s not easy. He’s special, for real.
The complete conversation can be viewed and listened to below.
More: Rockets star Alperen Sengun to play for Turkey in FIBA EuroBasket 2025
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: ‘He’s special’: Jabari Smith Jr. on growth of Houston’s Alperen Sengun