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Jabari Smith Jr.
Rockets · F · 23
Jabari Smith Jr.
vs
2025-26
Matas Buzelis
Bulls · F · 21
Matas Buzelis
Head to head · 2025-26 regular season · stats.nba.com

Jabari Smith Jr. vs Matas Buzelis

7-9categories
Smith Jr. · Buzelis
Jabari Smith Jr.
Smith Jr.
Rockets
2025-26
Buzelis
Bulls
Matas Buzelis
77
Games
availability
77
35.1
Minutes
per game
29.2
15.8
Points
per game
16.3
6.9
Rebounds
per game
5.8
1.9
Assists
per game
2.1
1.6
Steals + blocks
per game
2.2
1.4
Turnovers
per game · lower is better
2.1
44.9%
Field goal %
46.3%
36.3%
Three-point %
6.3 vs 6.4 attempts
34.9%
77.5%
Free throw %
78.6%
56.9%
True shooting
TS%
58.6%
17.9%
Usage
USG%
22.3%
7.3%
Assist %
of teammates' baskets
10.3%
9.6%
Rebound %
of available
9.4%
+5.0
Net rating
on court
-6.3
9.3%
PIE
player impact estimate
9.7%
+3.4
Plus-minus
per game
-4.0
Bars show each player's share of the pair's total; the better number is in the club's color (turnovers: fewer is better).

Where the gap is

from the numbers above

Matas Buzelis scored more in 2025-26, 0.5 points a game apart (16.3 vs 15.8), on Buzelis's heavier usage (22.3% vs 17.9%).

Buzelis is the more efficient scorer by true shooting, 58.6% to 56.9%; TS% folds threes and free throws into one number, so the gap survives shot-diet differences.

Playmaking goes to Buzelis (2.1 vs 1.9 assists), the glass to Smith Jr. (6.9 vs 5.8 rebounds).

With Smith Jr. on the floor his team outscored opponents by +5.0 per 100 possessions, against -6.3 for Buzelis; on-court net rating carries the teammates with it, so read it next to PIE.

On the books for 2026-27: Smith Jr. $23.6M through 2030-31, Buzelis $5.7M through 2027-28. Whether either fits a trade is a Trade Machine question, not a stat one.

Splits

2025-26 · from the game logs
Smith Jr.
2025-26
Buzelis
48-29
Record when playing
28-49
16.3
Points at home
15.8
15.3
Points on the road
16.8
17.0
Points in wins
17.3
13.7
Points in losses
15.7
32
Season high
41
2
30-point games
2
14
Double-doubles
4
Smith Jr. · last 5
Fri, May 1 vs LAL9 pts · 12 reb · 3 ast
Wed, Apr 29 at LAL22 pts · 7 reb · 3 ast
Sun, Apr 26 vs LAL16 pts · 8 reb · 3 ast
Fri, Apr 24 vs LAL24 pts · 6 reb · 1 ast
Tue, Apr 21 at LAL18 pts · 6 reb · 1 ast
Buzelis · last 5
Fri, Apr 10 vs ORL14 pts · 8 reb · 3 ast
Fri, Apr 3 at NYK11 pts · 6 reb · 0 ast
Wed, Apr 1 vs IND17 pts · 9 reb · 6 ast
Mon, Mar 30 at SAS12 pts · 6 reb · 2 ast
Sat, Mar 28 at MEM29 pts · 10 reb · 3 ast
Smith Jr. · contract
2026-27$23.6M
2027-28$21.8M
2028-29$23.6M
2029-30$25.5M
2030-31$27.4M
Buzelis · contract
2026-27$5.7M
2027-28$7.6M

More comparisons

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Per-game numbers and percentages are 2025-26 regular season from stats.nba.com; splits and last games from our own game logs; contract figures are cap hits from public salary data and can lag a signing by a day. Bold marks the better number in each row (turnovers: fewer is better).