Smith was waived by the Detroit Pistons on Monday and the high-flying Rockets wasted little time adding the 29-year-old forward to their roster for the remainder of the year.
The Rockets (20-7) made room for Smith by waiving Tariq Black.
Smith, who boasts a career average of 15.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, took part in shooting practice in Memphis ahead of the Rocket's clash with Western Conference Southwest rivals the Grizzlies (21-7) later on Friday.
"I just need to play my game," Smith said. "I've done enough to get respect in this league and you know I'll always play with a chip on my shoulder and that will never leave, so I just got to be able to come out and play…in the moment tonight."
Even with the fast turnaround time between teams, Smith is not worried with the talk surrounding his team change.
"I'm not concerned about outsiders looking in, or my decision making," Smith said.
"Most of those people haven't experienced what I've experienced in life, so all they can do is keep [commenting] about it and I just got to keep playing confidently and making the best decisions in game situations as possible."
As to whether Smith is expecting a contract extension beyond the one-year deal with the Rockets, he is not looking too far ahead into the future.
"Right now I just want to concern myself with what’s in front of me, and that’s the 60 games and the post season," said the former Atlanta Hawks player.
"I really can't think about free agency. I want to go into this year as me having a fresh start and me being able to try to do something special with a great team."