It’s doubtful that Green becomes a top 5 lead you to a chip player. But then again in the last decade there’s only been LeBron, Kawhi, Curry and Giannis who have earned that distinction and I feel Green and Cade had the highest ceilings to possibly get there. As an off ball low usage player typically stuck in a corner he’s not going to fill the stat sheet. We’ve seen he can make passes in the pnr but that’s not what he’s been allowed to do mostly. You can win with our backcourt but you’re going to need more time and more talent at the 3-5. Fingers crossed we get that top 3 pick. I really want Smith.
Agreed. I will say the flashes with Green are there. His shooting numbers aren't great, but he's shown it in streaks. The explosion at the rim is obvious. He looks to me like he's thinking too much out there and the game is still going too fast for him. The biggest thing I see is that he disappears for stretches of the game. Some of that is caused when Christian Wood decides in the backcourt that he's going to shoot the ball no matter what the next time he touches. Green will then just park himself in the corner several possessions in a row. I can't tell how much of that is by design (with Silas preferring to keep the ball in Tate's hands because... reasons?), vs. Green needing to stay in the game. He needs to tighten his handle. His first step is so good, he probably hasn't needed to in the past. He's not a point guard, but his general passing and decision making has been better than expected. I'd like to see him with more time on the court without KPJ -- the fact that Silas had a unit out yesterday with Christopher, Nwaba, Tate, and Martin was absurd.
Rockets power in the draft is with Brooklyn. If Green is Garland or Mitchell, the Rockets will be fine regarding incoming picks as long as Durant doesn't get healthy or one of Simmons and Irving has another case of being a knucklehead.
Yes - very true!! I was just making the point of expectations. People expect more from a top 5 pick and so they sometimes make the judgement based on a rookie season
Improving his handles will solve a lot of problems. Now he plays like he is afraid of losing his dribble, that's why whenever he gets bumped on a drive he tends miss finish layups because he's too busy thinking about keeping the ball. He still dribbles way too high and is used to just 2 power dribbles past the defender.
I do not see it with KPJ still being here, being mentally sane and focused. Something's gotta give. I think the Rockets are eventually going to go for a defensive coach and the scoring goes down. At least I hope to see it one day.
Mobley's comp was AD or Bosh. Those guys are surefire HOFs and even they struggled to get their teams to the playoffs. Cade's comp was Luka and he certainly needs more help to win a title. You're right, there is no single pick that is going to win us a title. It'll only get us started. We need to hit the jackpot on like 2 or 3 picks. I'm completely fine with tanking this year and every year we have control of our pick. I know it's not the fun option, but it's the most realistic path to a title IMO.
100% and I made a mistake in my analogy as I was really trying to say that maybe we should expect so much from a number 2 pick just because he is number 2. People aren't drafted to become ROY candidates, they are drafted to grow into great players. I'm confident Jalen Green is going to be a great player. Maybe he won't be as great as Mobley, and maybe he won't be an MVP. But calling him a bust or huge mistake is a bit crazy at this juncture. He's shown he has a lot of innate ability, and his defense is surprisingly good. He may never be the best defender, but he's not going to be a bad one either. And you can see the potential in his offensive game. He needs to figure out some things but the raw skills are there. I'm surprised if he isn't averaging 18+ppg next season and I think he will hit 20 and do it far more efficiently that his numbers show today. His trajectory is there. What I see as his shortcomings is mostly what he needs to learn. A lot of that is just experience.
When Green is involved in the offense and moving he looks great. When he sits in a corner he is not providing value. If we got rid of selfish Wood, Green would be a lot more comfortable out there.
Through five games in February, he's averaging: 16.2 points, 3.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds on 45.9%/35.7%/78.9% shooting splits and only 2 turnovers per game Those are damn solid numbers for a rookie. If he'd averaged that through the whole season, we'd be thrilled. I'd love to see him keep up a pace similar to that the rest of the way. If he could do that, I'd be relatively happy with his rookie season.
That's all he did even before he was drafted and that too using his athleticism to the rim more than 3pt and mid-range. Scoring is what is expected out of him more than anything else. I wish he would shoot more mid-range though rather than settle for 3s.
Very true. To me getting a 'potential all star I'd the most important part of a top 5 pick. If they don't pan out, bummer. But being a good NBA player is still ok A bust is someone who has serious flaws (Darko etc)
Jalen needs to be a game breaker on offense. Anything short of that and we should've drafted Evan Long Legs.
Wouldn't it be enough to just sit back and watch? Why go off the deep end and trying to predict things. I never understood people's urges to say things like : I would be surprised if he isn't doing this and that..........strange. 18 or 20 pts empty points is not going to help the team if the entire team sucks balls. Like CWood's 18 ppg is helping anyone right now.
i was worried because he looks lost, running blind to the basket or forcing his shots. But in the las 5 games he looks much more better. He is taking good decisions. I hope he starts showing a "winning mentality"
I love Mad Max..... But I hope Jalen is using his rookie contract money to get connected to some of the best trainers and off season skill coaches.
