I'm not sure that's true. The fact that he played over half the season as one of the worst players in the league can't be ignored. Would be have found his "groove" more quickly if he had more time against bench units? Would having his playing time tied to his performance have motivated him... or would it have killed his confidence? There's really no way to know for sure, so really we should all just be happy that his pathetic play for most of the season helped the tank and that he figured it out at least on offense towards the end of the season giving us all a show and providing hope for the future.
It probably can be seeing as there are many modern star level guards who had near league bottom numbers in advanced metrics. That is the nature of guards who join the league in their teens who's primary talent is scoring. Kobe Bryant qt 19 would have league wide bottom barrel efficiency numbers on this team also. Also no one gives up on a 2nd pick overall and discuss a need to change development plans(like living him to the bench) after half of their 19 year old rookie season. That is extremely premature.
It's not common for a #2 pick to play like the worst player in the league at any point, let alone for half a season. Struggle a bit? Sure, but Green was absolutely an anchor around the neck of the team for more than half of last season. Now, we were tanking, so they just let him continue to suck till he figured it out, but any team that wasn't actively taking would have taken him out of the starting lineup no matter where he was picked while he was playing that poorly. Let's just be happy that it worked out, Green's incompetence helped the tank and he figured out the offense side of the ball at the end. It's win-win.
He's a starter unless someone better comes along, or he regresses, and I don't either of those are likely to happen.
There was no need to shatter his confidence "to find his rhythm". The org made the right decision and didn't bench him just because he was struggling to adopt. I feel like many Rockets fans look at a player in a small period of time and judge them as this or that. No room to grow. Garuba is a failure and shouldnt' get PT over other guys is the exact same kind of thought process. They are young. Give them a chance to struggle.
It really is common especially for guards. Guys like Trae, Ant, Booker, Beal all had "one of the worst starters in the league" advanced metrics in their first couple of months in the league. It's actually pretty damn common especially for rookies under 20.
When I wrote that he was playing historically bad - and IMHO would have learned more by being benched. That said, it was a tanking year - so the org decided to let him learn by continuing to play him and damned the consequences. I guess, as the way the org did it has worked, one could deduce that I was incorrect......sure. I am fine with that. I still feel players learn more when they are benched for a time and explained what is expected of them, and then put back in...... DD
You could see the talent with Green the whole time and most of us knew he'd get it together, which he did.
If he was lacking in effort, I'd agree with you. But that wasn't the case. He simply was struggling. Benching him to give him a lecture wasn't going to do anything positive when he was already trying and motivated, and doing what the coaches were asking him to. It just takes time for results to happen.
But we DO KNOW, that he developed extremely well continuing the process that was laid out at the beginning of the year by actual professional basketball minds. No conjecture needed. The real thing happened. Why must we defend our opinions so hard? Sometimes we are wrong, sometimes we are right. If you were right all the time, you would be the GM of a basketball franchise.
There is no world where the worst team in the nba or any fan of that team should have ever even considered benching their #2 overall pick solely because he was struggling…..as a 19 year old. Dumb.
And u wonder y folks r ragging on kpj supporters as they preached patience. Sht threads like this not even halfway into Green's rookie season.
Sincerely, Marvin Bagley Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Derrick Williams Hasheem Thabeet Michael Beasley Darko Milicic Stromile Swift (That's like 1 every 3 years who has played half a season looking like one of the worst players in the NBA)
Wow, what a shock, on a ROCKET's FAN BOARD, that people have different viewpoints on what would be best for the development of it's number 2 pick. The shame of all that arguing and discussion from fans......the nerve of fans to have varying opinions. LOL - come on man, that is what the BBS is for.... DD
