At 6-foot-11, Jabari Smith Jr. started at small forward for the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. Or maybe he was the shooting guard.
When the former Auburn standout began his fourth NBA season, he did so as part of the tallest starting lineup for an opening-night game since the league began recording starters in the 1970-71 season.
At 6-7, Amen Thompson was the shortest Houston player on the court at tip-off against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The other three players – Steven Adams, Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun – stand 6-11, like Smith, giving the Rockets’ starting lineup an average height of 82.2 inches, or 6-feet, 10.2 inches.
Smith had an opportunity to be the opening-night hero against last season’s champion, but he missed a turnaround jumper at the buzzer as the Thunder held on for a 125-124 victory in double overtime.
Smith scored 16 points with five rebounds and one steal in 41:45 on the court.
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Two players with Alabama basketball roots made their NBA debuts in the game, even though they are playing on two-way contracts with the Thunder.
Each NBA team can have three players on two-way contracts. A two-way player does not count on the 15-player standard roster but can play up to 50 games with the NBA team while being shuttled to and from the team’s NBA Gatorade League affiliate without being subjected to waivers.
From Alma Bryant High School in Bayou La Batre, Brooks Barnhizer played 2:15 and did not record any stats.
From Alabama, Chris Youngblood got six seconds of court time in his first NBA game.
As a two-way player with Houston, JD Davison (Calhoun, Alabama) was in uniform for the Rockets, but he did not play.