When you're coming off a 16-win season, it's hard to have ambitious goals as a rebuilding Rockets team. Any notion of making the playoffs are out the window and the odds that Houston makes the play-in tournament are extremely low. However, there is one goal the organization probably made a priority before the season started. That goal is whether or not Jalen Green shows flashes of All-Star potential. Nothing else matters this season for Houston.
The win-loss total is going to be ugly, the arena will be difficult to sell out, and television ratings are naturally going to be down. If Green shows those flashes, it will all be worth it in the end. The promise of Jalen Green is that he'll eventually be someone who can provide All-NBA level scoring on good efficiency. On Saturday night against the New York Knicks, Green didn't score at an All-NBA level, but he was certainly efficient.
Jalen Green against the Knicks:
16 points
2 rebounds
2 assists
69.9% True Shooting
Green is averaging 18.5 points on 65.9% true shooting. He's also shot 35.7% from three during this stretch. This is notable because Green is only averaging 14.5 points on 49.2% true shooting for the season and only 28.4% from three. He's played with a level of confidence and decisiveness with the basketball in his hands these past couple games than a lot of his prior games this season. It's only two games, but what's different about them than the other 14?
Kevin Porter Jr. isn't playing alongside Green
Kevin Porter Jr. has missed the last two games due to injury and as a result, Jalen Green has had the ball in his hands a lot more. He's not the primary ball handler per se, but he's benefited from the increased reps. Porter Jr. has shown enough through his time in Houston that he clearly belongs on an NBA guard rotation. However, he may not be the best fit in the starting lineup long-term next to Green.
Porter Jr. doesn't seem to have the feel or passing instincts to play point guard and more specifically, hasn't really put Green in positions to succeed. Every game there are possessions where Green gets himself in position to score, but doesn't receive the ball. Porter Jr. makes some good reads every game, but he may just be a good passing shooting guard in the NBA. That's totally fine, but it's not a good fit next to Green.
More spacing around Green
Eric Gordon has been a huge plus for the starting lineup. Not only is he one of Houston's two most talented players, but he's a reliable floor spacer. This is a huge boon for a starting lineup that has some of the worst floor spacing in the NBA. For some reason, the Rockets insist on starting Daniel Theis and Christian Wood together and it's awful for slashing guards who need space. Gordon widens the court for someone like Green and Houston just wasn't getting that from a career 32.0% three-point shooter.
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) November 21, 2021
As stated before, Green's development is the only thing that should be a priority for Houston this season. If they want to see more good games from him, it might help to just keep Gordon in the starting lineup and have Porter Jr. come off the bench. Houston could also just have Green come off the bench and sub in for Porter Jr. This allows him to keep playing alongside Gordon and keep that extra spacing. Either way, it would be a mistake for Houston to start Porter Jr. and Green together again.
If the past two games have taught us anything, it's that Green needs to play with better floor spacers to maximize his abilities as he continues to develop.
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