Inside The Rockets

Houston Rockets: Jalen Green Needs Another Strong March

Star guard Jalen Green tends to catch fire post All-Star break, and the Houston Rockets will need him to more than ever as they look to lock up a top four seed in the Western Conference.
Amsal Madhani|
Feb 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) shoots the ball during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Feb 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) shoots the ball during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets have exceeded expectations this season, entering the All-Star break with a 34-21 record. Despite that, they sit as the fourth seed in the Western Conference, just .5 games ahead of the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers and 2.5 games behind the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.

Houston needs to find a way to not only pull away from the Lakers, but also lock up a top seed, and if there is anyone who can help it get there, its Jalen Green.

Green, throughout his career, has shown that he tends to catch fire post All-Star break, specifically in the month of March. Maybe it's the transition from winter to spring, but something about March gets the star guard in a mode.

Last season, Green averaged 27.7 points on 49.2% shooting, while also grabbing around six rebounds and dishing out four assists per game in March.

The Rockets were sitting pretty as the No. 2 seed in the West not too long ago, but skid down due to an injury to their veteran point guard Fred VanVleet. They expect to have VanVleet back sometime after the break which should help get the team back on track, but they will need another spectacular March run from Green to solidify themselves as one of the best teams, not only in the Western Conference, but in the entire NBA.

Green has been the guy that makes or breaks this team. VanVleet and All-Star center Alperen Şengün may be the engines, but it's been clear that Green is the x-factor for how far Houston can go this season.

The Rockets have an 8-0 record when the star guard has scored 30 or more points this season, and they will need more of that as they head into this last stretch of games.

General Manager Rafael Stone didn't make any significant moves at the trade deadline because he wanted to see where this current squad can go together. Well, this is the stretch where Green has to show that Stone made the right decision.

Expect Green to, once again, light up the stat sheet in the latter half of the season and cement Houston as a top team in the Western Conference.

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Amsal Madhani
AMSAL MADHANI

Amsal is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor's in Journalism and a Minor in Business. He was born and raised in Houston, Texas and specializes in coverage of the Houston Rockets.

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