The Houston Rockets will resume play Friday when they travel to Orlando to begin the last stretch of their 2021-22 season. With the playoffs effectively out of reach in a rebuilding year, most fans are primarily focused on the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 NBA draft, Jalen Green.
Over the last 10 games before the All-Star break, Green averaged 15.9 points while shooting 43.6% from the field and 37.7% on 3-pointers, and he scored in double figures in all of those games. The numbers are even better in Green’s eight February games, with the 20-year-old shooting 46.4% overall and 41.2% on 3-pointers for the month.
Those are some very efficient numbers by Houston’s top rookie compared to the shooting slump he was in the previous three games — where he scored a combined 17 points and 6-of-40 from the field, including a game at Golden State where he missed all 11 shots that he attempted.
“I think I just locked in,” Green said of his recent improvements. “All my extra work. Getting up shots. I think those were the main things. I just got right back to work, and it transferred over.”
I asked Rockets rookie Jalen Green about his turnaround in the last ten games where he is averaging 16 ppg. after having a combined 17 points in the three previous games before that stretch. #Rockets #LightTheFuse #Sarge pic.twitter.com/AmUjFIDVtf
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) February 19, 2022
Green doesn’t want to be viewed as a player who excels only on offense, and he has worked hard to be a better defender in his rookie season. That is an area he knew he had to improve on coming into the NBA.
“Knowing the spots and anticipating the actions,” Green said of his defensive emphasis. “Locking in when we watch film helps and makes it easier for me when I step on the floor. Knowing when to be the low man, knowing when to be the X, has helped out a lot.”
After a rough road trip before the All-Star break, with three games in four nights in three different states, the Rockets will now get some travel relief — as they play 15 of their final 24 games at home.
