Houston Rockets Guard Jalen Green Breaks Out Of Shooting Slump Against Grizzlies

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green had been mired in a dreadful shooting slump leading up to Wednesday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. But in the Rockets’ blowout victory at home, he broke out in a huge way, scoring 34 points on 13-for-26 shooting from the floor. Green had been averaging just 15.8 points on 30.6% shooting from the floor in Houston’s previous five games. In those games, he shot just 25% on 3s.

Green’s inconsistency is under the microscope in Houston because the second overall pick in the 2021 draft is the prize prospect from Houston’s three-year rebuild. The 7-6 Rockets have taken a huge step this season after spending freely last summer in free agency upon veterans in Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet. But to take the very next step, they’ll need Green to deliver on the pre-draft promise that had some scouts predicting he could some day lead the league in scoring. Including this season, Green is now two seasons away from free agency. He has one final season on his rookie scale contract and can be extension eligible as early as next season. A max contract for Green would take up 25% of the Rockets’ balance sheet, an amount they’d be more than happy to allocate if he proves worthy of such a raise. But to date, the jury is still out on his star potential.

Green had been benched for the entire fourth quarter by head coach Ime Udoka in the Rockets’ loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday. Udoka said he held an individual film session with Green, emphasizing missed opportunities. Against Memphis, Green was just 3-for-10 in the first half before erupting in the third quarter. VanVleet said afterwards that the Rockets needed to do a better job of getting Green more involved in the offense stating that Wednesday’s game was a good opportunity to let Green get the ball.

While Green averaged 22.1 points per game last season, he shot just 41.6% from the floor and 33.8% on 3s. This season, Green is shooting 40.9% overall and just 33.3% on 3s. Green was billed as a great shooter coming into the draft but so far, that has not translated to the professional level.

The Rockets appeared to be building around Green and guard Kevin Porter Jr. for the first three seasons of their rebuild but Porter was dealt this past offseason to the Oklahoma City Thunder in what was largely a salary dump after being arrested and facing criminal charges in an alleged domestic disturbance. The focus is now on Green to provide the scoring punch in Houston’s backcourt.

If his shooting woes and inconsistency continue, its unlikely that the Rockets would deal Green at the deadline. In such a scenario, his trade value would be at an all-time low. A more likely scenario would be to simply allow Green to enter restricted free agency the offseason after next. He would still just be 23 years old and has shown flashes but just has not been able to put it all together. For the sake of their rebuild, the Rockets hope Green figures it out sooner rather than later.