Rockets' Jalen Green Reaping Benefits of Trust and Hard Work
HOUSTON — Jalen Green walked out of the Toyota Center Friday night, unsure if he was back to himself. But amid the Houston Rockets' disappointing 131-127 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Green's performance indicated that he is slowly getting back to the prominent cornerstone of the franchise.
"Really, it was just the flow of the game," Green said. "It was a fast-paced game, we were moving the ball. They zoned us a little bit and yeah, just hitting the open shots."
Green had one of the best games of his career. He scored 31 points on 12 of 19 shooting. And following coach Ime Udoka's plea for the team to score more threes, he accounted for five of Houston's 14 made 3-point field goals.
In addition to his scoring, Green had arguably his best all-around performance, adding six rebounds and four assists. His bounce pass to Alperen Şengün at the 4:49 mark of the fourth quarter illustrated Green's growth as a playmaker.
The Rockets' fourth-quarter struggles led to a wasted effort by Green. But for a player recently benched due to his horrific play, Green needed a successful individual outing to break free of his slump.
Rockets guard Jalen Green reacts after making a basket during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Toyota Center.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
"He was great," Fred VanVleet said. "He is learning and trying to find his spots. Look, everybody struggles, it's the NBA. All of the greats, regular players, bench players, everyone goes through their own struggles. But, the good ones, they push through. It was good to see him find a rhythm."
Green scored 25 points during the Rockets' In-Season Tournament victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 10. But shortly after his outstanding performance, Green fell into a rut, scoring less than 10 points in six of the Rockets' next 20 games.
Before a 23-point outing in a loss to the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night, Green was averaging 7.0 points on 26.7 percent shooting from the field while missing all seven of his attempts from behind the arc. Each performance resulted in Green getting benched in back-to-back games.
But he kept working instead of getting down on himself, and the unwavering faith from his coaches and teammates kept the 21-year-old two-guard confident. Udoka kept challenging Green during his struggles. His main objective was for Green to remain aggressive while impacting the game beyond his scoring.
"He played great," Şengün said. "He has had some rough games, but he is a good player. He is so important for our team. He made shots. He made assists. He helped us a lot in the offense."
Before his struggles, Green was having a solid start to the season, averaging 20.3 points on .449/.415./.750 shooting splits. His best game during the first month took place during the Rockets' 34-point victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. He scored 28 points inside the Toyota Center.
The Rockets had improved to 4-3 on the season while riding a then-four-game home winning streak. At the time, the team's success thrilled Green more than his individual achievements.
Houston is now in the middle of a three-game losing streak despite Green's average of 27.0 points on 51.3 percent shooting and 52.4 percent shooting from behind the arc over the last two games.
Green's play has seen its share of ups and downs, but his desire to win has remained consistent through the first quarter of the season.
"We just need to put some wins together," Green said. "Until that happens, it is what it is."
