It has been a very long season for the Houston Rockets and their fans. The season finished up Sunday with yet another loss. However, it did not come without a silver lining. Rockets rookie shooting guard Jalen Green dropped a career-high 41 points in Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks, 130-114. In doing so, Green became the first Rockets rookie to score 41 or more points since Hakeem Olajuwon.
Jalen Green’s 41 points today are the most in a game by a Rockets rookie since Hakeem Olajuwon, per @ESPNStatsInfo. Green scored 30+ in 6 of last 7 games — and Rockets lost them all to guarantee another top-5 pick to pair with Green.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 10, 2022
Despite the struggles of the team, Green flourished as a rookie. He will finish the year leading all rookies in 40-point games with one, 30-point games with eight, 20-point games with 26, 10 games with five triples and 19 games with four triples.
Green was the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. After high school, Green opted for the NBA's G-League last year instead of going to college. Clearly, that appears to have helped his ability to be pro-ready this year.
Green finished the season exceptionally strong. He scored 30 or more points in six of the Rockets' final seven games. They lost each game, which actually helps the team at this point. Houston will once again likely have a top-five pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. They finished the season 20-62, dead last in the western conference.
Kevin Porter Jr. and Green make a good young core. They should be able to improve upon that in the draft this summer. However, the expected rise of young big man Christian Wood failed to come to fruition this season. They will hope he can turn into a post-hype sleeper going into the 2022-2023 season.
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