Rockets' Jalen Green: Team X-Factor?

Jalen Green is playing a massive role for the Houston Rockets.
Jan 13, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) dribbles the ball as Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells (0) defends during the second half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Jan 13, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) dribbles the ball as Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells (0) defends during the second half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets have seen a boost from Jalen Green as of late, and it is resulting in more victories for the team.

In six games for the month of January, Green is averaging 30 points per game and the Rockets have won five of those six matchups.

HoopsHype writer Mike Shearer has named Green the team's X-Factor due to his recent boom.

"This isn’t exactly a hipster pick, but if coach Ime Udoka continues giving Green big minutes, the young guard simply has to deliver more on offense," Shearer writes.

"Green has notably improved his defense year-over-year, a must for any Udoka rotation player, but the shotmaking hasn’t materialized. He’s shooting 38 percent on wide-open threes, which is fine (if not particularly great), but he’s also shooting a surprisingly high volume of three-pointers that are considered closely contested – nearly two per game, and he’s making just a quarter of them."

Green's stronger production is also a result of him picking up some of the slack left by Jabari Smith Jr., who broke his hand on Jan. 3. If Green can continue to fill in the gaps for Smith, he could keep the Rockets on track.

The Rockets return to the court tonight as they take on three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets at 8 p.m. CT.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager who has been with On SI since 2021. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20.