Houston Rockets rookie Jalen Green made his highly anticipated return from injury on Thursday night against the Indiana Pacers.
Green had missed nearly a month of play due to his hamstring strain and Houston wisely didn't rush his rehab. He is a foundational prospect for the Rockets and the 15 games he missed felt significantly less important. This is why Thursday was a big step in Houston getting back on track and Green absolutely filled it up, tallying 20 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound, and 1 block on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range.
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“It felt really good,” said Jalen Green on his return. “I was just happy that I was getting the minutes I was getting. I didn't think I was going to play much.”
Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said before the game that Green was going to be on a minutes restriction and he ended up finishing the game with 24 minutes played. Hamstring injuries are really tricky and Houston just wants to lower the risk of Green re-injuring it.
“I wanted to play him longer than I did for sure,” admitted Silas after the game. “Now, we have to see how he feels tomorrow. That's the next big step. Luckily we have three days where he can do his rehab and be ready to play the next time he gets out there.”
The story of the game for Green is his hot three-point shooting. Sure, a lot of them were off the dribble shots, but half were catch-and-shoot jumpers. This is important because the Rockets have a lot of high-usage players on the team and the team has been looking to get Green better at this shot. He's an excellent off-ball mover, but his release hasn't been as smooth off-the-catch versus off-the-dribble. Houston paired Green with lead assistant coach John Lucas during his rehab process and really made it a point of emphasis to drill down.
“I think that was pretty much the main focus while I was working out when I was injured,” said Jalen Green. “Just getting my shot quicker and not really thinking about it. Just getting it up.”
Lucas is famous around the league for his tough one-on-one workouts with players and he doesn't take it easy with guys returning from injury. He put Green through a rigorous process of shooting drills and conditioning before clearing him to play. And for someone who talked about the pace of the game being an adjustment, these workouts were important for Green. Lucas also wanted to get Green to the point of taking catch-and-shoot jumpers within two seconds. He was actually timing his own shots within the game tonight.
“After that first one went down, I was like ‘Okay, it's going to be a good night.,” said Jalen Green. “I'm not going to lie. The rehab situation I was going through with John Lucas just made the game a lot easier.”
There's also something to be said for being on the bench and seeing the game from a different perspective. Green had the luxury of seeing the chess pieces move in real-time and pondering where he'd fit into everything.
“It felt like the game kind of slowed down a little bit while I was trying to find my rhythm,” said Green on the new perspective. “A lot of the things I was reading on the bench I was reading out there on the court and actually getting to do it.”
Kevin Porter Jr. described a similar phenomenon when he had to miss an extended stretch due to injury. And a lot of this makes perfect sense. It's easier to see mistakes you were making by taking a step back versus when you're in the moment.
“He saw things that we've been talking about,” said Silas on Green. “He saw angles, he saw driving lanes, he saw catch-and-shoots. It's definitely something for him to build on. He was very, very efficient tonight and that was one of the things we've been talking about.”
The Rockets will probably take their time before ramping up Green to his normal 30 minutes a night. It's unlikely this is the only game where he has a minutes restrictions. It's also possible that Houston limits Green's future availabilities on back-to-backs like they're doing with Eric Gordon right now. Nothing's been decided yet, but it is something to watch for as Houston plays a back-t0-back set against the Hornets and Lakers in the days following Christmas.
“It's all part of the plan,” said Jalen Green. “I'm feeling great. The main thing is just seeing how I'm feeling going forward after games.”
This long break gives Houston an opportunity to think about these things. It also gives Green an opportunity to do even more rehab with John Lucas.
“Now, we have to see how he feels tomorrow,” said Silas. “That's the next big step. Luckily we have three days where he can do his rehab and be ready to play the next time he gets out there.”
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