PHOENIX — Third-year guard Jalen Green has been through a lot of adversity in his third season with the Houston Rockets. The 22-year-old native of Fresno, California, has seen his name and reputation slandered on social media by fans who wish the team would trade him. He has seen his minutes cut during several games as he learns to adapt to the schemes of Ime Udoka, a new head coach.
The No. 2 overall selection from the first round of the 2021 NBA draft averages 18.2 points per game this season, which is lower than the 22.1 he averaged last season. With the addition of point guard Fred VanVleet and small forward Dillon Brooks, Green’s field goal attempts have dipped from 17.9 to 15.4 per game.
Udoka would like to see Green become more aggressive on the offensive end of the floor, which Green showed in his last two games versus the Suns by averaging 34.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
“He is making quicker decisions,” Udoka told reporters after Saturday’s victory in Phoenix. “Being aggressive shooting it and not passing up shots when they (defenders) go underneath. And then when they go over, attacking and getting downhill attacking.”
sleep can wait
watch @JalenGreen go off instead 👇 pic.twitter.com/Lo1ZMLpqr8
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) March 3, 2024
Before the All-Star break, Udoka mentioned potentially making some changes to the starting lineup, and many speculated that it would be Green who would surrender his starting position to either Cam Whitmore or Amen Thompson, both rookies. But Udoka quickly dispelled that notion in his first press conference after the break by telling reporters that no changes would be made.
According to one NBA executive, that decision was a smart move.
“Green is going to be a superstar in this league,” a Suns executive told Rockets Wire. “He reminds me a lot of Devin (Booker) and what he went through to start his career here.”
The executive continued his comments:
What Udoka is doing with him is smart, letting him play through his struggles and observing from the bench when he is ineffective. Green is explosive and still learning how to play the game at this level. He had a rough start to his career, but if Houston sticks with him, they will make some noise. Fred [VanVleet] is a nice addition to that team and will impact his growth.
Green has admitted that he needs to improve in various on-court areas and appreciates how Udoka has coached him, knowing that he intends to grow and eventually join the NBA’s top tier of players.
With 22 games left in the regular season and hopes of making the Western Conference play-in tournament fading, Green’s continued development will be among Udoka’s top priorities in the coming weeks. The goal, of course, is to make him a much better player for the Rockets (26-34) in the 2024-25 season and beyond.
