BOSTON, MA — The NBA Finals are upon us, and that means another year of NBA Player Correspondents. This year, the NBA kicked things off by having Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. in attendance for Game 1 of the series between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.

For the 2023 NBA Finals, rookies Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers, Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic, Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz served as the correspondents, taking part in Finals Media Days and asking players questions.

This year, that group will include Smith Jr., Amen Thompson of the Rockets, Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons, Keyonte George of the Utah Jazz, and Brandin Podziemski of the Golden State Warriors.

Jabari Smith Jr. At Media Day

Jabari Smith Jr. took part in NBA Finals Media Day, asking Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum questions leading up to the opening game of the Finals on Thursday night.

First, he joined the press corp in the media room and asked Doncic how it felt to be part of his first NBA Finals.

“Amazing,” Doncic said with a huge smile, recognizing the forward sticking out all the way in the back of the room. “First time here. Hopefully it's not the last game. But never take it for granted. You never know if you are going to come back, so just enjoy the experience.”

When the Celtics were up, Smith Jr. had an excellent question for Tatum.

“What would you say to somebody going into their third year who hasn't lived up to the expectation that has been set on him?”

Jayson Tatum, who has had the weight of the Celtics organization on his shoulders since he was drafted in 2017, took time to impart some very real advice to Smith Jr. during his NBA Finals media availability.

“I've been in that situation,” Tatum reflected. “Everybody else in the world at your age at 21 is probably still in school, trying to figure out what they want to do in life. We come into the league at such a young age, and they want us to be perfect right away. It's just part of growing up. You're still growing up. I'm still growing up.

It's a process, right? Nothing was accomplished overnight. I think you'll find a value in tough times, the ups and downs of just what life brings you. I sound like a real old person right now.

“In the sense of your career, I would say, man, enjoy it. There's going to be some great times. There's going to be some times that aren't so great. It's okay to be upset because that means you care, right? You want to be great. People believe that you can. They just try to rush the process. It takes however long it takes. But as long as you work hard, you believe, you got the right support system. Obviously, you do down in Houston. I know all those guys, coaches. Everything will take care of itself, how it's supposed to.”

Jabari Smith Jr. Motivated By NBA Finals Appearance

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Jabari Smith Jr. just finished his second NBA season out of Auburn, averaging 13.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on 45.4 percent shooting from the field and 36.3 percent from three. His Houston Rockets fell short of the playoffs, but there was clear improvement made with the offseason additions of Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.

Smith Jr. took time to speak to ClutchPoints in between his duties as a Media Day Correspondent for the NBA about how the gig came together.

“My agent came to me, told me that they invited me here and Game 1 of the Finals,” Jabari Smith Jr. told ClutchPoints. “Kind of can't turn it down. So I'm excited to be here. I'm excited for the game tomorrow, excited to see behind the scenes, the media side of it, and just have some fun with it.”

Being in the Finals environment in Boston ahead of Celtics-Mavericks, which saw over 400 media members travel from around the world to cover, had Smith Jr. extremely motivated to make it to this stage.

“It motivates me a lot because this is a big deal, you know what I'm saying,” Smith Jr. said as he took in the scene on the Celtics parquet with a big smile. “Looking around, looks like something big is about to happen. And it is. It's the NBA Finals. I keep forgetting that. But just being here definitely motivates me just because this is where I see myself, this is where I dream to be, and this is where I want to be.”

Smith Jr. came up as the son of an NBA player, although his father did also spend a lot of his playing days overseas. It did give him a leg up as he began to seriously pursue basketball, however.

“I didn't watch my dad in the league much. When I was born and getting older, he was mostly overseas, but I definitely had a head start, I feel like. Because I feel like, growing up, I was already being trained like a pro, I was already living like a pro, doing things that pros do. So when I got here, the shift and the adjustment wasn't large to me. It was definitely an adjustment just coming from college to the NBA, but as far as what to expect, I feel like I had a good understanding just because my dad was there.”

Smith Jr. hasn't come close to reaching the playoffs yet with the Rockets, but appears to be on an upwards trajectory that will help lead Houston there sooner rather than later. The Rockets finished five games short of the final play-in tournament spot, but at one point late in the season were neck-and-neck with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings for the play-in spots.

The goal for Jabari Smith Jr. and the Rockets next season is clear.

“Playoffs. Simple as that. Haven't been to the playoffs yet, haven't been to the postseason and that's where I want to be. As far as individual, I feel like if I do what I'm supposed to do, that'll take care of itself. The main goal for me is the playoffs.”

Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks is on Sunday at 8PM EST on ABC.