A Consistent Jalen Green Is Scary For the League

The Houston Rockets are a Jalen Green leap away from contention. That was a common phrase uttered by fans and followers of the team prior to the season. It was a fair assessment of a team that made a significant jump the year prior and seemed to be a superstar addition away from becoming a true threat in the Western Conference. The Rockets had always banked on Green, eventually becoming a legitimate first-option scorer on a competitive team. It seems like Green might be turning the corner and finally growing into his role as this team's alpha scorer.

Green's scoring talent was apparent from his rookie season. Consistency offense was lacking from his game ever since.

He often gave flashes of his offensive potential through stretches of games, but he never sustained his success throughout an entire season. His jump shot was the most inconsistent part of his game. It was also his most used weapon during the first several years of his career.

With his slight frame, Green couldn't find effective ways to get to the basket, so shots from deep or mid-range were the only opportunities he could consistently create. When his shots were falling, Green looked like the player Houston hoped it selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft. When they weren't falling, Green was an unproductive starter on a team that had few starters who could produce.

Things began to change last season when the Rockets started introducing more of a winning culture.

Head Coach Ime Udoka joined the fold and entirely changed the mentality of the young players on the roster. Green and his fellow cornerstone Alperen Sengun were the biggest benefactors of the change. They also had the most to learn and unlearn from the previous regime.

Green quickly understood that players are required to play defense to get minutes for Udoka, and he began showing noticeable improvements in that area. His athleticism and quickness help him stay in front of attacking players. He also gets support from other strong defensive players like Dillon Brooks and Amen Thompson.

His defense took another step forward this season as the young guard shows flashes of dynamic defensive play. Defense is necessary in crucial moments, and Green steps up in key situations when he is attacked by opposing offenses.

While his gains in defensive consistency were significant, his offensive progress is what draws the eye most.

Green is scoring with career-high efficiency. He's at his best field goal percentage at 43.4 percent and best three-point percentage, shooting at a 35.7 percent clip from deep range. He has improved his ability to create and finish shots at the rim, which opens opportunities to release shots from beyond the three-point line. Green is finding better ways to use his speed to disadvantage flat-footed defenses. He has been a dependable offensive force for a significant stretch of games; he even produces in the clutch against other top teams.

Green has gone on similar runs in the past, like during last season's stretch of games in March when the team made a final push to attempt a play-in tournament bid. The Rockets might be performing well enough to skip out on the play-in entirely, and Green's consistent offense will have a lot to do with it if they do.

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