I don’t want to speak for him, but i think what @A_3PO is saying is that moderate improvement still won’t make Jalen a good shooter. That’s not assuming the worst really, but more like picking something mildly optimistic countered to the possibilities that he could get worse or he could stay the same. That doesn’t read like outrage to me…it assumes improvement…just not enough to move the needle. So turning just a modicum of improvement next season into a $100 bet seems silly, because it doesn’t change the overall concern around whether we have the right guy playing SG.
Your condescending amateur psychologist act is tired. I have no outrage and you know it. Back to the topic: We have entered the part of the season where wins and losses aren't meaningful. This might be Jalen's time to rise up and play his best ball of the year. If he doesn't, Rockets will probably trade him over the summer. If he does, they'll run him back again next season.
It's just so frustrating that Jalen Green 3 years in a row decides to finally turn it on post all-star break when the season is all but concluded. I have no faith that next season he'll have a different approach. Obviously Jalen isn't the only one who is guilty of the "Tale of Two Halves" of the season.... looking at you Dillon Brooks who has been abysmal since coming back from injury. But still... I really don't know why now in March is when this guy just decides to start playing like he gives a crap.
Not sure what the benefit is of running him back next year regardless of what he does over the last 20 games. We know he’s not the guy and isn’t a good fit with our other players; actually hurts the team the most of any player playing meaningful minutes. Honestly, what is the upside of running him back? It just takes court time away from other prospects, and undermines winning. We can’t end up in this same situation next year with nothing to play for. We need guys who impact winning; Jalen rarely does. Why can’t we just move on from an obvious draft mistake? Why do we have to compound the mistake by living with the mistake instead of cutting our losses? I don’t get it.
Gotta disagree with you here Max. He claimed in absolute terms that a 22 year old nba player will never achieve consistency because they haven’t been consistent, will never materially improve his shot selection and for all intents and purposes will be a losing player for the rest of his career. There is no more negative position than that. Also in this post: https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/...ckets-numero-uno.321957/page-72#post-15096759 he’s shocked/outraged/whatever you want to call it at something I didn’t even say. Just assumed something else which he found ridiculous. He didn’t say what you’re saying. He cautioned that I’m “undermining optimism” for Jalen by making a bet - that’s really really dramatic. The bet was only intended to demonstrate the “Will never improve” and “he is what he is” sentiment is absurd even just between now and next season. Of course he’s not going to turn around him game completely by then. He has a right to be as pessimistic or outraged as he wants of course. I just pointed it out.
Oh it’s not a schtick, you just don’t see yourself. Back on topic: not sure what you’re waiting for from him when you sentenced him already. My view is if we don’t change the way we play or his role, why would anything change? More likely he gets traded this summer regardless of how he performs, the coach has already pushed to trade him and doesn’t seem to be much of a motivator to anyone on the team since the honeymoon period ended. The whole team is dipping right now, is Jalen suddenly going to carry it without any space in the paint? Or is his 3pt shot going to get better late in the season? I’m optimistic though. I think Udoka will change now that everything else he’s tried hasn’t worked.
Whilst I totally understand if a lot of people are all-out on Jalen, it's undeniable that he's had more big-moment superstar performances than every single other draftee we have combined. Just a thought.
The thing about drafting all these kids is that immaturity and "room to grow" is baked in. It's hard to fathom that a 22-year-old is washed up and unable to improve. Looking back to the championship teams, Horry was 22 the year he was drafted. He shot .255 from 3 that year. Cassell was 24 in his rookie year. He shot .418 from 2 and .295 from 3. These days we're running teenagers out there and then being surprised they are immature and not ready for prime time. Jalen is still younger than Steve Francis was the day he first stepped on an NBA court. I'm not saying Green is going to be good, I don't know that he is. It's too soon. He doesn't seem to have the kind of upside of Edwards or Booker. But he's still very talented.
I don't necessarily disagree with your overall premise...but those stats for guys back then are just way different than they are today: Shooting .295 from 3 would put you at about 23-25th in the league in 3 point percentage in 1994. In fact, Vernon shot .298 that year, and was 22nd in the league in that category. Sam came into the league shooting that as a rookie, and was easily among the better 3 point shooters in the league because of it. "Big Shot Bob" shot right at 34% for his career from 3...a man known for being a 3 point shooter....for Sam's entire career he only shot 33% from 3...in today's game that wouldn't be so great...in fact it would be pretty much exactly what Jalen has shot over his career, and we're having this conversation about him. But relative to the state of the league they came into, Sam and Bob were relatively better 3 point shooters than Jalen has been by a long shot. If you're 25th in the league in 3 point percentage, you're shooting 40% or better today. It blows me away how much the game has changed.
My point was that 22 is an age at which one can still expect improvement. It’s very young. Horry and Cassell both improved from those rookie numbers. I agree that Green’s shot is bad for his era, and that the bar has moved. But if he could go from 33 to 37 or 38%, it would be a viable weapon. That’s not an unreasonable improvement to see at his age.
Didn't want you to think I was really arguing with you...I wasn't. It's why I said i don't really disagree with your overall premise. There's definitely time for him to improve....though I'm not sure I'd bet on that improvement if I'm the Rockets.
Even in 2023/24, if Jalen was a 22 year-old rookie, expectations would be different. But he's deep into his 3rd year, continues displaying the same flaws on offense and doesn't seem to have learned much. I do fault the team some for his lack of improvement. I think he needs the sting of falling short with the Rockets to shift the gears in his mind, which is where much of the problem is.
[Feigen] How Rockets' Jalen Green has shown improvement during recent run If there had been some great change — an adjustment in his role or a tweak in shooting form — that triggered Jalen Green’s scoring surge, he and the Rockets would have something more tangible to bring belief that it might last. But solutions are rarely so easily found. As with building excellence or even just potential in the first place, it takes many steps to reach a destination. After Green scored 34 points in consecutive games against the Suns last week, a potential breakthrough in a season in which his shot has so often betrayed him, there was hope he had changed directions to head where he always seemed likely to go. “I was just being aggressive,” Green said, preferring to leave it at that. There was no great change or easy answer, so only time and more games will show if he has turned a corner. But if the numbers were discouraging before, they can be a reason for hope now. There have been signs of progress. Green has scored 30 points in six of his past 17 games after reaching 30 just twice in the first 43 games of the season. In his past 19 games, he is averaging 20.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals, all increases from the preceding months. The Rockets’ second-leading scorer, Green has made just 40.7% of his shots, just 31.8% of his 3-pointers. His true shooting percentage, which adjusts for the value of 3-pointers and free throws, ranks last among Rockets regulars. Green has made 28.9% of his 3s with the closest defender six or more feet away but 45.5% in the past two games and 38.8% in the six games since the All-Star break. “He’s recognizing (defenses) better,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Understanding where the big is at and the action of what the on-ball defender is doing, making quicker decisions in general. Being aggressive, shooting it, not passing up shots when they go underneath and then when they go over, getting downhill and attacking. “He made some really nice reads (on Saturday) and found those guys wide open, so it’s always good to have those secondary ball handlers as well. He’s been playing great lately.” Udoka said his ability to read the Suns’ defense last week opened his “aggressiveness, shot opportunities.” “Whether he’s getting downhill, if they’re chasing over (screens) aggressively, shooting 12 3s and 17 the (game) before … he’s reading how teams are playing, what they’re trying to make him take,” Udoka said. “Want him to be aggressive, want him to improve in that area, and I think he has in the last two games. “It gives us a real weapon offensively. When he’s touching the paint, we’re not relying on the same guys over and over. His scoring is one thing, but also his aggressiveness and the crowd and attention he draws really opens it up for everybody else.” …Instead, the Rockets have to hope Green’s recent scoring represents something he can build on. “Him getting to the basket, getting some easy layups early (Green scored four seconds into Saturday’s game) and finding his shots, there’s some carryover,” Udoka said. “For him, it’s not about confidence. It’s really about awareness and recognition and reading how they’re guarding him. That leads to open shots and awareness of how they’re guarding him. “We want his confidence to stay high. We want him to stay aggressive at all times. When he does that, we’re a much better team.”
