Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green aspires to be more than a scorer – Andscape

After becoming the Houston Rockets head coach last year, Ime Udoka asked his athletic point guard Jalen Green a question: How would he impact the game in different ways?

Green impacted the game in a different way at the end of a 91-90 NBA Cup quarterfinal victory against the visiting Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. With the Rockets down 90-89 with 3.5 seconds left, Green stole an errant pass and was fouled by Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga. Green made two free throws that sealed the victory for the Rockets and earned a trip to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday.

Green recalled to Andscape that Udoka told him in their meeting to “be able to score the ball and on defense. When the shots aren’t falling, how are you going to impact the game in other ways, whether it’s a steal, a blocked shot, play defense? Things like that.”

Green arrived in Houston as the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NBA draft and with a reputation as an electric scorer after playing for the G League Ignite.

Green averaged 17.3 points as a rookie in the 2021-22 season and quickly built a reputation as one of the most intimidating NBA dunkers. During his sophomore season, the lanky 6-foot-4, 178-pounder averaged a career-high 22.1 points on 17.9 attempts but on 41.7% shooting. While his scoring average was high, he had a reputation for taking questionable shots.

The Rockets struggled during Green’s first two seasons. The team won just 20 games in 2021-22 and 22 games in 2022-23. Green realized he had to do more than just “get in the lab” to improve his game. The Merced, Calif., native described his first two seasons as tough and described how he needed to improve.

“Growth. Trusting my teammates. Taking the right shots. Not just taking bad shots all the time. Taking one that’s open and being aggressive when I need to,” Green said.

On April 26, 2023, the Rockets hired Udoka as their new coach after he coached the Boston Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals. Udoka was a journeyman NBA player known for his defense and toughness. Udoka said during his press conference that the Rockets had a “tremendous amount of young talent and the sky’s the limit” with Green, center Alperen Sengun and forward Jabari Smith.

Udoka met with Green shortly after being hired and pushed to add more depth to his game on both ends. Udoka wanted him to take better shots, read defenses better, make his teammates better and commit to defending with his athletic talent.

“Coming in, obviously watching a ton of film and playing against him, he had really good natural scores,” Udoka told Andscape. “That’s what he was known as and what his focus was and what he was (asked) to be here, a straight-up scorer. My thing for everybody is to become more well-rounded.

“For him, a guy with his athletic ability, who can get to the rim at will with his first step, just becomes a more well-rounded player. A big part of that was reads at the rim and how the defense guards. He’s one of our shot creators and he needed to be able to distribute as well as score.”

The Rockets added 2022 NBA All-Star guard Fred VanVleet and gritty wing Dillon Brooks to the team in free agency in the summer of 2023. VanVleet is a 2019 NBA champion known for his scoring and defense, while Brooks is one of the toughest defenders in the NBA. The Rockets also added 17-season veteran forward Jeff Green, who won an NBA title with the Denver Nuggets in 2023.

In addition to being pushed by Udoka to grow, having respected vets has helped Green.

“When they have helped me, it is situational. Being aggressive. What to see out there. What to look for. Get the dog out there,” Green said.

Green’s scoring average dropped to 19.6 points in the 2023-24 season with VanVleet and an improved Sengun. But Udoka noted that Green battled through injuries en route to playing in all 82 regular-season games last season. The Rockets also reached the .500 mark (41-41) for the first time since the 2019-2020 season.

Udoka believes Green’s overall improvements have been overlooked. Green’s defensive rating was a career-worst 122.5 during the 2022–23 season. Under Udoka, he had a 114.7 rating last season and has a career-best 107 rating so far this season.

“Just because he’s small in frame and not known as a defensive guy per se, I think people underestimate his toughness and competitiveness,” Udoka said. “Defensively, that’s where he makes his biggest strides. Not only does he rise to the individual challenge of guarding 1-on-1, but he’s not a guy that teams chase and pick on. The numbers that show that he’s guarding 1-on-1, are pretty good.

“Offensively, you just have to continue to grow and not just look at the basket wanting to score every time. That was the biggest thing with me, is being more well-rounded. If you get to your spot every time, you should be able to read the right one. He’s done a much better job of knowing how teams are guarding him and not forcing shots over two or three people, which was one of the weaknesses early on when I got here.”

Even with improvement last season, Green and the Rockets didn’t have much buzz entering this season in the tough Western Conference. However, Houston entered Friday with the second-best record in the West (17-8). The Rockets also have an opportunity to prove themselves after advancing to the NBA Cup semifinals to play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Before the team qualified for the semifinals, Green told Andscape that it would “mean a lot” for the Rockets to make a statement coming to Las Vegas.

“I’m sure they had their doubts because we’re a young team,” Green said. “It’s okay. We don’t care what other people think. We care about what to do and how to do it. We’re all dogs. Everyone on the team is a dog…

“Some nights I have to have it. Other nights someone else will have it. We have such a talented team. A deep list. Guys come in off the bench. Our starting five can all get it.”

Green plans to quell any doubt that he lives up to the hype of being a No. 2 draft picks. He’s off to a slow start offensively, averaging 19.2 points on 39.7% shooting from the field, but he’s also averaging a career-high 1.2 steals on arguably the NBA’s best defensive team. Green is also just 22 years old with a game that is still developing.

“People underestimate me,” Green said. “You’re in the NBA. Talented guys. You’re going to score, but it’s not going to be as simple as when you have me as a mismatch…

“I’ve had pressure (to be a star). It’s something I want to achieve. I’m still young. It’s my fourth year in the league. Everything is going to work itself out one day.”

As Green becomes more well-rounded and a defensive player, fans attending the NBA Cup will certainly be looking for some highlight reel action in Las Vegas. Udoka has played with athletic Hall of Famers such as former San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. He sees some similarities between Green and those players athletically, but wants him to have their same passion for defense.

“He’s got some things you can’t teach, for sure,” Udoka said of Green. “It is clear that athletics shines the most. His first step is crazy. I always say, ‘These athletic guys with physical traits, how can they not be good defenders with all those tools?’ It’s a mentality thing.”