The No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft has always been looked at differently, living in another’s shadow. This year, the Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green is pulling no punches and is set to take the Rookie of the Year award home.
There’s no doubt about it; the 2021 NBA Draft was stacked with talent, and ran deeper than most, with early Rookie of the Year betting placing the No. 16 overall pick, Alperen Şengün, with the fifth-best odds. It should be clear at this point that going first in the NBA Draft does not a Rookie of the Year make.
Jalen Green stands 6-foot-6, is listed at 178 lbs, and is an all-around threat when he steps on the court. Opting to circumvent the collegiate route, Green made his way to the NBA G-League Ignite, joining forces with Jonathan Kuminga to test his skill set against the talent the G-League had to offer.
Amidst some, albeit baseless, speculation that Green may have been able to move up a spot and be taken first overall by Detroit, the Pistons selected Cade Cunningham, leaving the Houston Rockets no choice but to take Green at No. 2.
After the dust had settled in Barclays Center, and all the general managers had closed their books, cleaned their whiteboards, and made their phone calls, it was finally possible to look over the night’s picks. Cade Cunningham in Detroit, the Cavaliers taking Evan Mobley at No. 3, Scottie Barnes leapfrogging expected draft order to be taken fourth by Toronto, and Jalen Suggs to Orlando with the fifth pick. Josh Giddey to OKC, Kuminga to the Warriors, and Wagner to the Magic.
So, amongst 60 picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, not to mention the players that just missed the cut, what is it about Jalen Green that has him ready to secure this year’s Rookie of the Year award?
Why Jalen Green will win ROY: Proven and dynamic scoring
Of the top picks in the draft, their specializations tend to come down to playmaking, defense, athleticism; the usual. What separates Green from the rest of the 2021 NBA Draft’s top picks is that he is, without question, the most capable scorer amongst them all.
In the G-League, Green averaged just under 18 points a game, doing so while maintaining 61.3 percent True Shooting, much of which can be attributed to his impressive 82.9 percent shooting from the charity stripe. While his 3-point shot, a 36.5 percent clip on 5.7 attempts per game, could certainly use some improvement, it does remain an impressively high mark for such a high-volume scorer, and a capable at-the-rim-finisher at that.
Through the summer league, Green simply would not let up, posting 20.3 points per game on 51/53/93 shooting. To put this in perspective, Green attempted only 12.3 shots per contest, a mark lower than the next 17 highest scorers below him. Furthermore, Green shot 52.6 percent on 6.3 attempts per game from deep. Of those attempts, what stands out most is Green’s proficiency when spotting up off-ball, and shooting the ball off the catch.
It is within expectations for a high-volume scoring guard to take, and make, a number of off-dribble threes at a league-average mark, but Green managed not only to force defenders to stay with him well beyond three feet past the arc but to stay tight to his stationary and mobile off-ball looks. His spot-up precision having previously been an inconsistency in Green’s game seems to now be trending in a positive direction.
Of course, when a scorer of Green’s caliber begins to pour in buckets from any number of spots around the court, defenders increase their intensity, something with which Jalen Green has no quarrels. Green can finish through contact, but when he fails to convert on the field-goal attempt, he almost certainly makes the defense pay. Green not only goes to the line regularly but converts a high percentage of those looks. Amongst other players in the draft, Green is the score-from-anywhere threat that not only gets buckets but one that will shine on a Houston Rockets team full of willing and capable passers.
Why Jalen Green will win ROY: Athleticism and finishing
If the photo above fails to simultaneously display both the speed and finesse with which Green is capable of scoring, then perhaps all hope is lost. Green’s explosive first-step and leaping ability, combined with his ability to contort his body when in amongst the trees is staggering, producing finishes with the highest degree of difficulty on an almost far-too regular basis.
His speed, however, is not limited to on-ball possessions, as Green can bolt from the corner or wing to catch and finish at the rim with ease, even leaping well into the air to throw down lob finishes.
Though he did not participate in the NBA Draft Combine, an event passed on by many of the top draft picks, it should be clear that Green’s electric athleticism is nothing to scoff at, evidenced by the comparisons to All-Stars Zach LaVine and Bradley Beal. While high-school highlights are often a far cry from a player’s potential in the pros, Green (alongside Houston Rockets teammate Josh Christopher) was throwing down highlight-reel dunk after highlight-reel dunk in his secondary-school tenure
Green not only boasts one of the most versatile scoring arsenals in the NBA draft but as a Rockets starter this season, expect to see him command air time both on the court and on the weekly highlight reels. As far as Rookie of the Year voting is concerned, while flashiness and finesse may not account for everything, Green’s other-worldly knack for getting to and finishing at the rim will make him a no-brainer for this year’s voters.
Why Jalen Green will win ROY: The Rockets are a team in need
While some may argue that the Rockets’ league-worst 17-55 record had more to do with their desire to perform well in the NBA Draft Lottery than it did with the team’s talent, it is no secret that the roster as it stood could have likely performed the same without any incentive.
Losing two star guards via trade, a team rife with injuries, and high roster turnover (An NBA-high 30 players suited up for the Rockets in the 2020-21 season), leaves convenient room for a young talent to work towards returning their team to relevance. It would seem that Jalen Green is indeed that young talent.
Green’s spot as a starter is all but decided. With the remaining four players likely including John Wall, Jae’Sean Tate, Christian Wood, and Daniel Theis, the primary scoring responsibilities fall upon Jalen Green. Wall and Tate, both being capable scorers in their own right, are better suited this season to create and facilitate looks for their teammates. Green has proven himself to be a dependable scorer with or without the ball in his hands, ensuring that he can either create his own shot or allow any one of his teammates to assist in his production.
Effectively, Houston’s current roster, aside from (on occasion) Kevin Porter Jr., seems to lack the ‘score from anywhere’-ness that Jalen Green’s game can bring to the table.
Now, it is important to state that Green has some deficiencies in his game. Perhaps not holes, but aspects which spending time on and getting reps in will inevitably fix. As a bi-product of Green’s lightning-fast game, he can be prone to the occasional mid-air bail-out pass into a defender’s arms, the odd slow or questionable pass picked off by the defense, or simply dribbling the ball into traffic without a safe exit.
Being an unexceptional playmaker is something that is remedied with time, the building of chemistry, team cohesion, and regimented practice with, in Green’s case, Coach Stephen Silas. His defense, while showing some improvement in his off-ball awareness, leaves something to be desired, as his motor often takes time off on the defensive end. Luckily for Green, the Rockets, like Green himself, are taking steps towards improvement. Every step of the way both he and his teammates will be given chances to improve, aiding in team success.
On a very basic level, the Rockets seemed to have a Green-shaped hole in their roster up until July 29th, 2021. Each and every one of Green’s talents either adds a new weapon for Houston to utilize or complements another one of his team’s already present skills. Green can score the ball better than anyone in this draft class, plain and simple.
His athleticism will translate exceptionally into the professional level, and while the peripheral aspects of his game need tuning, they are, after all, peripheral. Green’s fundamentals for his game are sound, so much so that they are enough to bank on for his Rookie of the Year bid.