Indiana Pacers: 3 biggest threats to sign Jalen Smith in free agency

The Houston Rockets could be attracted by Jalen Smith’s two-way potential

While the Houston Rockets seem comfortable having Alperen Sengun as their lone rotation big man next season, they are still vulnerable in the frontcourt. After the Christian Wood trade, they will be banking on raw players to man the big man positions, which may not play to their best interests.

Drafting Jabari Smith is massive of course, but he is more of a combo forward than a true big. They were widely believed to be gearing up for Paolo Banchero after the Wood trade, and while Smith is absolutely far from just a consolation prize, missing out on Banchero interjects Houston’s now-glaring frontcourt holes.

Jalen Smith could help them in this regard. He may not be able to significantly help the Rockets on the defensive end due to their fundamental lack of acuity on that end, but his offensive upside could attract their brass. His perimeter game from the power forward and center positions should be a very welcome addition to Houston’s up-tempo, perimeter-heavy scoring attack.