The Houston Rockets are thriving as Jalen Green is finally fulfilling his potential as a pro.
Whenever an NBA front office has an opportunity to draft a top prospect, they often select that certain player with the hope that they will eventually change the trajectory and fortunes of their respective franchise. General managers and scouts alike invest heavily when they choose to draft these players, especially when it's a player drafted with a top 3 pick.
The Houston Rockets found themselves in a similar situation when they decided to draft Jalen Green with the second overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft. Green was chosen over the likes of Evan Mobley, Franz Wagner, and Scottie Barnes, and while some critics may believe that those players could have been selected with the second pick, Green is starting to make the Rockets front office personnel look like they made the right decision to choose him.
After just losing their superstar James Harden the previous season, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone knew he had to make a splash, and so far, the choice to draft Green is beginning to finally pay off as he was the essential piece in order to begin the rebuild. He has been showing signs of being a dominant scorer who has the capability of taking over a game. When asked by a reporter what made Green the guy he wanted to draft with the second pick and what he envisioned for him as he reached whatever his peak may be, Stone talked about the physical assets he noticed and Green's star potential.
One major flaw that critics have pointed out early on was Green's ability to remain efficient. Just as with all young players having to adapt to the NBA and the speed of the game, it takes time and practice in order to improve. It took some time but Green has finally figured out how to put it all together. It may take a few more seasons in order for him to reach his full potential, but he has made strides concerning how efficient he has been this season.
During the month of January, Green has averaged 27 points per game, has shot a blistering 45 percent from behind the arc, has shot 78 percent from the charity stripe, and is only averaging 2.4 turnovers per game.
Critics have often labeled Green as a player who forces too many shots as he was being labeled as a player with poor shot quality. At times when his shot wasn't falling, he appeared to be losing confidence and lacking aggression, but it now appears he has learned how to push through rough patches during games.
If Green can keep the same level of efficiency he had in January throughout the remainder of the season, he could become the player that carries the Rockets into the postseason for the first time since the 2019-20 season. If he can continue to learn how to impact the game in multiple ways when his shot isn't falling, it will go a long way towards him improving his shot selection, therefore making him that super-functional player Stone envisioned when he drafted Green.
The problem for Green was that he was attempting a lot of questionable shots when a player with his type of athleticism should be attacking the paint relentlessly. It's not only about his shot selection but he had to also learn how to get his teammates involved and also had to learn that he doesn't have to deal with the burden of carrying the team because he has sufficient help. It's evident that Green has improved many aspects of his overall game as much is expected from a top pick, especially after playing three full seasons.
Consistency will be key for Green moving forward as Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has been instrumental and has helped Green develop the mindset he needs in order to thrive in the league. When asked by a reporter how Green was able to get such good looks and whether he was doing anything differently with his approach.
"The looks were the looks that teams were daring him to shoot early, going under a lot. Now he's making those and it extends our defense up a little higher. He obviously has that first step to get by defenders and he's making plays at the rim or taking the shots and making plays for his teammates. The open looks he gets, sometimes they fall, sometimes they don't but with his aggressiveness and confidence, you can see he's on a nice scoring streak right now and just taking what they're giving him and knocking them down at a high clip."Rockets head coach Ime Udoka
Green has been making all the right reads and has been playing smart basketball. He's not forcing anything like he was prone to doing in past seasons and hopefully, this current scoring streak will be sustainable for the remainder of the season and hopefully throughout the rest of his career.