Is it now or never?
Is Jalen Green ready to make the year three four leap? It’s a similar question to what I asked just a little over a year ago. Following a 2023-24 season bountiful of highs and lows, it’s safe to say that the Houston Rockets are still wondering that same thing.
In last year’s piece where I proposed objectives for Green to accomplish, I keyed onto a couple of quantifiable actions, and a couple more that relied more upon the eye test. Those included tasks such as; “garnering All-Star consideration” and “becoming a more efficient and better all-around player, fighting towards playoff/play-in contention, and showing everyone he’s one of the top six or seven guards in the west…”
Let’s breakdown how each of those objectives played out.
All-Star consideration was never an actual conversation last season. If the season started in reverse then maybe we could talk. Green’s efficiency was a wash, and although he elevated his splits during a historic March, his numbers were dragged down from a rough start to the season.
However, I won’t push back against Green becoming a better all-around player over the course of the year. Green had to become better, first, to salvage his career in Houston, and secondly, the team needed someone to lean on once Alperen Sengun succumbed to a season-ending injury. That leads us to the next bullet point — fighting towards postseason contention. JG played magnificently during the Rockets second half winning streak, and the team being anywhere within earshot of a play-in spot is a direct correlation to Green stepping up across the board.
In regard to Green being one of the top guards out west, not at this time, but needless to say, if he’s able to sustain the version of himself that was present in March, anything is on the table. So after recounting the list of actionable items, it’s been concluded the leap we had hoped for was not fulfilled. However, if you’re still willing to hold on to the allure of potential, I am too, which brings us to the upcoming season.
The Rockets haven’t committed to Green’s future in H-Town, but to be fair, they also haven’t extended the more consistent player, Sengun (not yet at least). If I’m to be fair to the organization, who can blame them? There’s still more to be hashed out when it comes to the direction and the evolution of the Rockets’ roster. Nevertheless, Houston still lives in the period of time where they don’t have to rush into any sort of commitment.
It’s an evaluation period and the appraisals of these players are allowed to change at any point. If you asked anyone in January, it seemed likely that Houston and Green were destined for a split. Fast forward two months and the perspective shifted. How could you be so certain that you’re willing to give up on someone that was worthy of Player of The Month honors? It’s okay to reevaluate even after three years of hazy results.
The caveat is that this is Green’s last chance to make a good impression on the organization. Yes, it’s unlikely the team would allow him to walk away via restricted free agency in 2025 without recouping anything, but this feels like one of those all or nothing situations. If the Rockets still aren’t sure Green is one of the pieces to build around after this year, it’s probably best for all parties to move on.
Therefore, the imperative is on Green and the coaching staff to make this work. The coaches have to put Green in positions to succeed as one of the primary scorers, but they also need to place him in spots where he can contribute to the game when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands. As for Green, he just has to execute, and more importantly, do it more consistently.
The talent is there, we all see it. It’s the reason it’s so hard to picture this rebuild not working with him, but he has to show he can wield the game-breaking talent that he’s been gifted. He can prove that by doing the simple things. He needs to continue to show growth on defense, moving without the ball, expanding his playmaking, and not reverting to a blackhole when his shot isn’t falling.
If he does these things, it will go a long way towards the Rockets taking the next step of making the playoffs. If he does this while also putting up impressive numbers, individual accolades could follow. It’s now or never.