Reeling Rockets have lost Jabari Smith Jr. due to an ankle injury

A terrible season has seen the Houston Rockets struggle. However, Jabari Smith Jr., their top rookie (No. 3 overall) from the first round of the NBA’s 2022 draft class. His status seems to be in question.

Smith left early in Wednesday’s loss to Charlotte — Houston’s 12th in a row, the longest by any team in the league during the 2022-23 season — after turning his right ankle in the third quarter.

Smith sighed and continued to shoot the two free throws after he had sat down for a while. The Rockets gave Smith the right to leave, but Smith was quickly forced to walk into the Toyota Center tunnel. Within minutes, he was ruled out for the rest of the game, which rapidly spiraled out of Houston’s control.

Smith entered Wednesday with a 12.1 point average and 7.0 rebounds in 29.9 games during his rookie season.

Smith missed two weeks because he injured his left ankle in preseason. The injury to Smith’s right ankle is however the most serious. Smith’s injury is the second current issue for a starter with the Rockets, who remain without Kevin Porter Jr. Due to a left foot contusion.

There was no postgame update regarding Smith’s status or return timetable moving forward. The Rockets play next in Minnesota on Saturday, with tipoff set for 7:00 PM Central.