One Area Jalen Green Can Improve Next Season for the Houston Rockets

It was no coincidence that the Houston Rockets had their best season in the last five years, the same year Jalen Green had his best overall season. Green, Jae'Sean Tate and Alperen Sengun, more than anyone else on the team, understood how much of an achievement it was for the Rockets to make the playoffs this season.

Tate is the longest-tenured Rockets player, having joined the team in James Harden's last season. Green and Sengun were drafted by the Rockets in the following draft. However, it is different for Green because he was seen as the heir apparent to Harden when he was first drafted.

Like most of the Rockets' young players, Green struggled in his first couple of seasons as the Rockets went all in on the rebuild. At the time, the Rockets were more at the player development stage than competitive. Green struggled with consistency as the Rockets continued to add lottery picks from 2021-24.

Things started to turn around for Green and the Rockets during the offseason of 2023 when they hired Ime Udoka to lead the franchise and brought in more veteran leadership during free agency when they signed Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.

Players like Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun benefited from their leadership as the Rockets improved by a league-best 19 wins in 2023-24. Green stepped up in March as the Rockets lost Sengun to a season-ending injury. The Rockets went on an 11-game winning streak in March before falling just short of a playoff spot.

Green had the best month of his career during March and hoped to carry that into the 2024-25 season. Green and the Rockets did just that, as they were one of the surprise teams in the NBA. Green would have his best season from the 3-point line and free throw line, along with the best effective field goal percentage of his career.

Despite his strong regular season, Green suffered some of the same inconsistency in his first-ever playoff series. Green struggled in six out of the seven playoff games, averaging only 13.3 points and shooting 30 percent from 3-point range.

Jalen Green Needs a Counter Move

Part of Green's issue was not having a countermove when the Warriors could stop his initial move. Green has one of the quickest first steps in the NBA and normally can drive by initial defenders, but when the Warriors could stop his initial move, he struggled to come up with a countermove. In part two of my " one area that Rockets players have to improve on" series, I discuss what Green needs to improve next season.

Every great scorer has had some type of counter move. If you force the ball out of Stephen Curry's hand by trapping him, he is one of the best players in the league at playing off the ball. Curry also is one of the best finishers at the basket in the NBA if you force him off the 3-point line.

You take away Anthony Edwards going to the basket, and he can rise over any defender and nail a 3-pointer. You force Shai Gilgeous-Alexander away from his initial move, and he is one of the best mid-range shooters in the NBA

Even go back to Rockets James Harden, and he perfected the step-back 3-pointer when teams try to force him to his right. Green has to develop a second move, especially in the playoffs when teams are game planning for you over a week or two-week span.

For Green, it can be becoming a better finisher around the basket. Green shot under 50 percent on drives this season. He could operate more in the midrange this season. With his jumping ability, he should be able to shoot over anyone in the league, even in tight spaces.

Whatever the case, for Green to take that next step, he will have to be able to score in any situation, even when teams try to force the ball out of his hands. For the Rockets to go from a surprise team to a championship-level team, they will need Green to become a complete offensive scorer.