The Rise of Jalen Green: Rockets’ Young Star Leads the Way as Playoff Push Intensifies
The Houston Rockets find themselves in a promising position, with their young star, Jalen Green, leading the way. The team has been on a remarkable eight-game winning streak, and Green’s recent performance earned him the Western Conference Player of the Week accolade. As the Rockets strive for a spot in the play-in tournament, Green’s impact cannot be overlooked.
Not too long ago, there were discussions regarding potential trades involving green. Reports suggested that the Rockets and Brooklyn Nets explored a deal that would have sent Green and multiple first-round picks to Brooklyn in exchange for Mikal Bridges. However, ultimately, the Nets passed on this offer—a decision that turned out to be fortuitous for Houston. Since then, Green’s value has soared significantly.
What makes Green’s recent surge even more intriguing is its timing. He has emerged as arguably the best player from the soon-to-be defunct G League Ignite program and has been particularly exceptional since his teammate Alperen Sengun suffered an injury.
Analyzing some key statistics sheds light on his impact with Sengun on the court versus when he plays without him. Per PBPS stats, Green averages 27.6 points per 100 possessions alongside Sengun this season but jumps to an impressive 38.2 points per 100 possessions without him.
In addition to playing at a faster pace when Sengun is absent, Green also assumes a larger offensive role during these moments. With Sengun present, his usage rate stands at 25.3 percent; however, it rises to 33.8 percent without his teammate on the floor. This increased responsibility allows him to showcase his skills as a primary ball-handler and playmaker.
Over their last five games together before Sengun’s injury, no other NBA player scored more points per game on pull-up shooting than Jalen Green did—a testament to his versatility and scoring ability.
Both Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun are part of Houston’s young core from the highly anticipated 2021 NBA Draft class eligible for contract extensions this offseason, raising important questions regarding long-term plans for these players’ pairing.
While paying all members of their young core could pose financial challenges for Houston down the line—especially if they continue excelling—it is undoubtedly an enviable predicament to have compared to struggling with underperforming talent.
March Madness also provides an excellent opportunity for future NBA players to showcase their skills on college basketball’s biggest stage—the NCAA Tournament.
With two rounds completed in March Madness thus far, scouts have had ample opportunities to evaluate prospects closely, and several players have impressed along the way.
Although some highly touted names experienced early exits from the tournament—such as Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham—a significant number of top prospects remain in contention. While it might not be prudent to place excessive weight on performances within such a small sample size of games during March Madness, it is inevitable that some players will see fluctuations in their draft stock based on how they perform throughout this tournament journey.