Ime Udoka Compares Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. to Former Orlando Magic Duo

The Houston Rockets have a plethora of lineups to deploy next season, using various combinations of both old and new faces. One of those pairings is the lengthy forward duo of Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr., who've both drew comparisons in playstyle to each other.

Durant stands at 6-foot-11, but is one of the smoothest perimeter operators in league history. His guard-like handle and quick release have shaped his career as the ultimate mismatch hunter, scoring over smaller defenders with ease.

Smith stands at 6-foot-10, while he doesn't have the fully-polished game Durant does, but certainly frequents the perimeter. Smith's flashed a handle, and shot 35.4 percent from 3-point range last season.

Smith has taken on a mentee role as Durant's pupil since the pair became teammates, helping to grow his game to the fullest potential with one of the few players who can relate to his playstyle.

"Jabari's been a sponge," Udoka said. "Soaking up [information], working out together, learning some of the things he does well, regardless of him taking a natural step as well."

Given the strides Smith has taken, the duo of himself and Durant can fully lean into the Rockets' identity of size and versaitlity. Whether they're slotted in at the two and the three, or the three and the four, Udoka feels good about his tandem.

"Somebody's going to have a clear advantage," head coach Ime Udoka said. "They both can play inside, can play outside, do a lot of things with the ball."

The pair's unique combination of height and perimeter prowess led Udoka to a prominent duo from his playing days.

"You look at Rashard Lewis, Hedo [Turkoglu]," Udoka said. "One of those guys had an advantage on a nightly basis."

Lewis and Turkoglu both stand at 6-foot-10 and helped to deploy a jumbo unit for Stan Van Gundy's versatile Magic squad.

The pair started 158 regular season games together from 2007-2008 to 2008-2009 seasons, helping propel the Orlando Magic to two 59-win seasons and an NBA Finals appearance. They averaged a combined 37.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in the 2007-2008 season –– just below Durant and Smith's combined 2024-2025 points per game of 38.8.

Lewis shot 40.9 percent on 7.2 3-point attempts per game in 2007-2008, while Turkoglu shot 40 percent on 5.1 attempts per game in the same season.

Turkoglu and Lewis put up relatively similar statistical numbers, forming more of an equal pairing rather than a Batman and Robin duo. That likely won't be the case for Houston, barring a major leap from Smith or falloff for Durant, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

There's many ways for Durant and Smith to flesh out a dynamic, but it appears Udoka already has a blueprint in mind.