Let's start with the obvious. Jabari Smith is effectively guaranteed to finish behind Paolo Banchero in the Rookie of the Year race this season, and the Houston Rockets forward will likely be lapped by the 2022 top pick in the rookie scoring leaderboard. Yet ahead of Wednesday's battle between the two lottery selections, perhaps the gap between Smith and Banchero is beginning to narrow.
Wednesday night will provide a notable benchmark for one prized rookie in particular.
Smith's production was largely non-existent in a November matchup against Banchero as he tallied just three points on four shots in a narrow win over the Magic.