I agree with you unfortunately. Nobody cares if he has a track record of 1000 bad games, he is as good as his last game. It isn't Jalen's talent that I have an issue with but his mental. He always gets leeway because maybe he has a low turnover game or good defense. His position is to score. We need to fill that position with a consistent scorer. If you think Jalen is an amazing defender or great assister then put him in another role. We need a scorer. A consistent one.
Rodman painted his nails. and Graymond isn’t even as half as impactful nor skilled as he ever was so yeah, Jalen’s right
This. Jalen is a symptom - not the actual problem. Fred is playing 41 minutes a game in this series and has shot 26% from the field and 20% from three, hardly gets to the line, and only with 4 assists a game for the guy who sets up the offense. Why do we have a starting PG playing 40+ minutes a game who isn't hitting shots at all and isn't really getting his teammates good looks either? Not a single thread about that...and don't give me the "good at defense" line because Fred hasn't exactly stood out of there either. ...and look - I'm going to have to say this. Sengun has been really solid this offseason but he also hasn't been amazing because the only game we won was when Jalen shined. I'm coming around to a different place on Sengun - I think he has proven defensively that he can hang on the court in tough playoff matchups.....that being said, he HAS to be able to extend his game further to be a three point threat AND he needs to hit FTs because in matchups like these(with better shooting 3pt teams), we lose the points per possession game when we give him the ball nearly 20 times a game when he shoots sub 50% from the field AND from the line. Sengun is the most skilled offensive player on this roster BY FAR - but if you can only impact the game within 12-15 ft of the hoop and only against single coverage, you gotta be hitting those shots consistently over 50% and you have to knock down the FTs at a high rate when you get them. It's just a numbers game because the Warriors will happily trade their 3pt attempts for your 2pt attempts because it makes their PPP higher. ..but Sengun could also be a symptom of the problem. If you are going to play "inside->out"(and I'm not necessarily a fan of that style with this roster but agree that Sengun is the best we got so we have to play like this), then you can only have one absolute non shooter out there in addition to Alpi. Any more than that and you make it easy for the defense to load up in the paint like the Warriors have this series(always with 3 players' feet in the paint). Fred is being treated like a non shooter as well as Amen, Dillon, and Tari and none have been able to make the Warriors pay for it consistently. The difference is, Amen, Dillon, and Tari at least bring something on the defensive end/hitting boards so they aren't total losses while on the court but what value is Fred bringing if he isn't hitting wide open shots, he isn't really getting people good looks as a playmaker, isn't getting to the line, isn't really making defensive plays, and isn't getting into the paint? And before someone says it, GS is actively trying to keep Jalen off the 3pt line so his misses aren't the same as Fred's misses and Jalen in games 2/3 WAS getting the ball to his teammates in positions to score in a way sadly no one else on the roster has in this series. The problem is we need a serious upgrade at PG. We have outgrown the value Fred brings and need an upgrade - he is simply not good enough to be getting the minutes he has - especially for him to be getting 6 minutes more than the next closest Rocket. Everything else is just a symptom of this. The Warriors are +6 in this series and we have got literally nothing from Fred all series. I don't think the answer is sitting on the bench, but the answer this offseason needs to be finding ways to give Fred much more bench time if he even makes the team.
You are right about Jalen. He is the reason we won a game. Also the reason we lose them. His position is very important because it fills a role that the team lacks. When Jalen does good in his role we win, when he does bad we lose. I would much rather have someone with his exact stats but he always plays to his average each day than him dominate one day and underperform the next. The problem isn't Jalen green as a player as much is it is how much is given to him and what is expected. He's getting paid like an all-star so with that comes all-star scrutiny.
Being guarded like you are Steph Curry where opposing teams face guard you full court without the ball and deny hand off passes and blitz and double you at age 23 in your first ever road playoff game is a large uphill battle to climb for Green Acknowledge the hurdles he has to overcome. Someone having the same stats as Jalen and not garnering the defensive attention of Jalen would be a huge issue. But it isn't. Green's numbers are a result of many different factors, one being the way he is guarded relative to every other wing and guard on this team. His numbers aren't in a vacuum. So no, someone given Green's offensive numbers and efficiency without the gravity is far worse than the current version of Green. Green creates 10+ 4 on 3 advantages for his team last night. That doesn't show up in his box score stats does it?
I think the thing with Jalen is that he's just not a fast processor on the court... obviously....however he's willing to be coached so after he's seen the coverage mixup the coaches can tell him what to do and he'll do it. He'll be a great player in a few years just based on reps and muscle memory once he's seen it all. If Golden State sticks with this plan or the previous I believe he'll play reasonably well. Shocked the Rockets aren't running a give and go for him on those blitzes though. Total waste of his athleticism
I do agree that we ALL want to see more consistency with Jalen - it's undoubtedly a problem we need to hold him accountable to...but again - Jalen doesn't have to put up 30+ on decent efficiency to win if Fred gave us anything at all. The problem is you HAVE to get a perfect game from Jalen(he has to hit the shots, has to get to the line, has to find open teammates AND create for them) to compensate for having a player on the court for 40+ minutes who gives you nothing on either side of the ball. Okay big man - then why do you continue to talk about Jalen when Fred is still making more money than Jalen? Where is the Fred "all star money" scrutiny? Your Jalen bias has been exposed - you aren't even applying it to the other guard on the team making more money and bringing less to the table! ....and by the way - there are 20+ NBA guards who make more money than Jalen does. He's not getting paid like an all star in 2025 - those guys are getting paid $40-50 mil now. Its time to update your old 2010s calendar.
I agree with everything except the last part. Jalen is not on an all-star's contract. Starter? Sure, but not the typical contract of anybody you'd typical consider the main focus of the team even when his new one kicks in. The people who're being paid the "star" money are Fred and Alpi, Jalen's not the star player if that's the metric, sorry.
Yeah, his improvement year after year leads me to believe he will eventually be a solid starter. The consistency isn't there yet which is frustrating but he has been capable of playing big games against really good teams so it's not that he can't be a good player against good teams - he has the talent for that but agree that smart teams know that he doesn't think well on his feet so it's all going to be preparation for him - do this when they play a zone, do this when they pack the paint, etc. If a player came up who was "gettable" and brought more consistency than Jalen, then I'm not attached to him as a player but I just don't know where they get a more consistent 3 level scorer AND playmaker right now. They can certainly trade for another guard of some kind but it has to be a guard who: - can get their own shot because very few players on this roster can get their own shots - can shoot well from distance - overall Green is floating right around league average but is obviously wildly inconsistent but for the purpose of this exercise, he has the gravity of a shooter - certainly that is what GS thinks....but a guard on the court with Amen and Sengun has to be able to stretch the floor to make up for those guys - can get to the foul line(because we have very few guys who can do that and put teams in the bonus) - can mostly be at least be neutral on defense since this team has a defensive identity - can get into the paint consistently enough to converge defenses - can find open teammates when teams converge on drives so guys like Dillon, Amen, Tari, and Jabari can get easy buckets without being ball dominant since they are not great at playing ISO ball - is good on the fast break since this team's defensive pressure generates TOs meaning points off turnovers is part of how we score. Again, if we have a PG in Fred who can't do most of these things, it puts pressure on our SG to have to do almost all of those things every game. That's why I think you have to upgrade Fred to someone else who can do a handful of these things and THEN it opens up our ability to shop for a SG who can maybe do 2 or 3 of those things well if our PG can do the other things well. Ultimately we need at least a couple of playmakers, we need a couple of guys who can get their own shots, we need a couple of knockdown shooters, we need a couple of guys who can get into the paint, etc. That's why it's important for Alpi to develop a little more range to open up driving lanes for our guards, that's why it's important for Amen to figure out a way to generate offense so he has some gravity on the offensive end(he's actually kind of getting gravity just for his offensive boards), that's why it's important to upgrade aging FVV for a guy who can shoot more consistently because his growth in that area is far less likely than Jalen's.
This speaks to the "Jalen Green paradox" on Clutchfans. This is the bizarre notion that Jalen is both 1.Not a star player whilst also 2.Responsible for creating all of the offense and being the big scorer. It can't be both ways. We've heard for 4 years how Alpi's the superstar and the star of the team, and he got paid to be so, so he's the one who needs to be putting up the huge 30-40pt games, that's his role. If Jalen's the "microwave scorer" inconsistent threat everybody says he is, cool, but then don't pile expectations for him to be anything else, just be happy when he has one of his big scoring explosions. When we're talking about crumbling against lesser teams, blame the people paid to be the stars and leaders of the team - Fred and Alpi.
FINALLY SOMEONE WHO GETS IT. STONE IS WHY WE ARE WHERE WE ARE!!! NICE MOVES AT THE DEADLINE TO TAKE US TO THE NEXT LEVEL!!!
You have to take his entire personality into account, the mumbling and off court drama of his life with his baby mommas and JC. The worst part is him admitting he is scared. He mumbled through a game 2 interview about how the lights were too bright and the court looked huge and his knees were shaking, you will not see Ant or Lamelo talk like that. Reed is kind of like that too, they don't have the most confidence. Coach Ivy literally had to tell Jalen to say out loud that he is a good basketball player, that is actually pathetic at this level. Complete opposite of Mamba mentality. Wish Jalen was more like Ant in every way.
I’m still trying to figure out why Jabari is not back in starting lineup and playing more. He’s the only one along with Brooks that actually makes his shots lol.
Whether Y4 or Y2 both are babies so what is the difference? 2 yr gap is negligible between players lol. Dont tell me 23 is old and 21 is young? Amen started and played 35 mins per game if he isnt ready then he should have been benched and Tari or Jabari should be in his place. If Amen played great would you praise him? Yes right? So I dont see how Amen can be praised but cant be criticized how does that make any sense? At least Jalen able to contribute and prevented us from getting swept. If Amen cant contribute why is he on the court? He should be cheering alongside Cam and Reed. I dont like unfair standards on players all our guys are young and this is their first playoffs. If one of them up for criticism then all of them are fair game.
23 is old and 21 is young? Where are you getting that from. I was just talking about their experience in the league. Jalen in year 4 and Amen in year 2 is definitely a difference. And Amen being a great defender makes him valuable to have on the court so long as there are still offensive weapons around him. If Jalen isn't scoring, his defense and playmaking isn't other worldly. You want to hold everyone to the same standard but that's never the case in sports. Coaches don't even do that.
If Amen's defensive is that important and Jalen's playmaking that mid then I'd imagine Jalen being the one most people are asking to get benched. The problem is that the team isn't taking advantage of the 4 on 3 advantages Green constantly creates.
