It’s the final weekend before the NBA regular season begins, which means you’re coming here for your fantasy basketball drafts.
Should you draft Jabari Smith Jr. this season? Here’s the latest outlook, projections, and rankings for the Houston Rockets Power Forward.
Should You Draft Jabari Smith Jr. in Fantasy Basketball?
Heading into the 2025-26 season, Jabari Smith Jr. carries significant expectations after inking a five-year, $122 million extension with the Houston Rockets. However, with the addition of Kevin Durant, Smith’s role on the new-look Rockets will shift. Now, he’ll be more of a supporting option, but his skillset still gives him real fantasy appeal in the right formats.
Last season, Smith averaged 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 3-pointers, and 1.1 assists on 43.8/35.4/82.5 shooting splits. He was moved to a bench role late in the season, starting 39 of his 57 appearances in 2024-25. His block and steal numbers are modest, so his fantasy value is heavily reliant on his scoring, rebounds, and shooting splits. In category formats, Smith is a solid mid-to-late-round target, especially in leagues that value efficient scoring and 3-point shooting from bigs. In points leagues, his ceiling is more capped, particularly given the presence of Durant and his reduced role.
Looking for more fantasy basketball outlooks? Head over to our NBA landing page for analysis on 200 players.
What Are Smith’s Fantasy Basketball Projections This Season?
Based on our proprietary metrics here at PFSN, we project Smith to score 1,970.5 fantasy points this season, with him averaging 12.5 points per game.
This includes 4.4 field goals per game, 1.8 three-pointers per game, 1.9 free throws per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, 1.1 assists per game, 0.6 steals per game, and 0.6 blocks per game.
Where Does Jabari Smith Jr. Rank in the Upcoming Fantasy Basketball Season?
Smith is ranked 158th overall and 25th at his position. The five players ranked ahead of him overall include Andrew Nembhard, Jaden McDaniels, Isaiah Collier, Bobby Portis, and Kyle Filipowski.
The five players ranked behind him overall include Brandin Podziemski, Egor Demin, Caris LeVert, Lauri Markkanen, and Klay Thompson.
The five players ranked ahead of him at his position include Obi Toppin, Jonathan Kuminga, John Collins, McDaniels, and Portis.
The five players ranked behind him at his position include Markkanen, Moussa Diabaté, Rui Hachimura, Saddiq Bey, and Cameron Johnson.
