Houston Rockets: Evaluating the progress of their 6 recent first-round picks

Houston Rockets: Jalen Green

As the second overall pick in the 2021 draft, Jalen Green is the player with the heaviest expectations for his game. He is also arguably the most important centerpiece of Houston’s rebuild and has all eyes on him when he steps onto the court.

Compared to his rookie season, Green already upped his scoring, rebounding, and assist numbers, sending a message to the league that he is ready to lead the Rockets through this rocky stretch of building up a young team. He is now averaging 21 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.

At the beginning of the season, Green struggled a little when the Rockets went on a 0-4 road trip. Since he is usually the first scoring option, it is hard to hide his struggles, but he has turned his game around since and is looking much better on the court.

This is important because if Green plays well, the Rockets are competitive and do not give up easily. On such a young team, Green was quickly thrust into a leadership role, which is quite a lot of responsibility for a player who is just in his second season himself.

He is still growing and learning how to run a team that has so much talent just waiting to be developed. Last season, Green already proved to everyone that he could use his athleticism and be an efficient scorer.

This season, however, he is showing improvement as a defender, which this team can certainly use, and as a creator for his teammates. The Rockets still have the worst turnover rate in the league, but Green has notably improved his court vision and feel for passes as he holds down the Rockets’ offensive fort.