The Houston Rockets are on pace to finish with the worst record in the NBA for the third season in a row. As frustrating as it can be for fans of a franchise that has grown accustomed to winning over the greater part of the last 20 years, bottoming out has helped the Rockets accumulate a plethora of young, talented players who could, perhaps, lead the way for the next great Rockets team. And on Monday night, rookie Jabari Smith Jr. showed that the Rockets truly have a keeper on their hands with the third overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft.

With Alperen Sengun out due to a groin injury, Smith started at center instead of at his usual power forward position. And the move paid off big time; the 19-year old big man had himself yet another solid game, finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds on an impressive 9-11 shooting from the field to help the Rockets to a resounding 111-109 win over the Celtics.

In doing so, Jabari Smith Jr. became the first Rockets rookie since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1985 to tally three straight games of 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds, according to NBA.com/Stats Twitter.

Rockets fans should be excited to witness Smith begin to put it all together on both ends of the court. After suffering through characteristic rookie problems through much of the 2022-23 campaign, the Rockets forward is looking to end his first professional season on a high. In fact, Smith recently tallied a career-best 30-point scoring night against the Indiana Pacers last Thursday, and he followed that up with an impressive 20-10 effort against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

Jabari Smith Jr.'s counting stats shouldn't be what catches headlines, however. Before his historic three-game run akin to that of Hakeem Olajuwon's, Smith was just shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from deep. His unprecedented efficiency over the past few games should bode well as he continues to carve out a larger role for himself in the Rockets' offense.

There may have been some frustrations about Smith's shortcomings, but this three-game stretch proves that the Rockets have a future two-way beast in town should they develop him to the best of his abilities.