Rockets Now 5-0 With THIS Player Out Of The Lineup

 

When the Houston Rockets won the 2nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery, there was much celebration in H-Town. And when they selected dynamic young G League star Jalen Green, the celebrations continued. 

Then the NBA season started. 

The Rockets proceeded to lose 16 of their first 17 games, and Green, while showing incredible athleticism and quickness, has shown himself to be not quite ready for prime time. He's averaging 14 points on 38% FG, and 27.8% three-point shooting.

Now, he's missed the last 5 games with a left hamstring strain, and the Rockets have gone on a 5-game winning streak without him. 

Called "highly inefficient" and "physically weak" by NBA prospect insiders David Thorpe and Chad Ford, Jalen Green's absense has had an interesting effect on the Rockets' play. 

"Jalen's got some really terrible instincts," says Thorpe, a world-renowned basketball expert and coach. "He's plays the 'me' game, not the 'we' game. Extremely common for someone that talented... He's super-talented, super-skilled, super-athletic, and has a lot of bravado, but it's gonna be a long time before he learns how to play, in my opinion." 

All that being said, Green is only 19 years old, and did not even spend a single year in a top-flight college program. Ford says "his work ethic is hard, (and) he cares." With his athleticism and scoring ability, things will get better. "Could he still end up leading the league in scoring one day? Sure, I think he has that kind of potential."

Thorpe, in fact, compared him to Zach LaVine, who came into the league with the same type of 'me first' attributes and game, but he's now one of the top players in the NBA. But, Thorpe warns of Green's ascension to that sort of status, "it's not happening anytime soon."

Photo Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports