The Houston Rockets may be down 3-1 in their first-round series, but they still believe in a better future. In a chat with the media after Game 4 on Monday, Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet spoke up on his young teammate Jalen Green, who he says has more upside than anyone at the position besides Anthony Edwards.
“I don’t know if you can go get another 2 guard with the upside or the talent level. [Anthony Edwards] maybe in Minnesota,” said VanVleet. “I don’t know, does Book have more talent than Jalen or is he more skilled and more polished and more experienced and older? … I don’t know what Jalen will look like when he’s 26, 27, 28 after the playoff series. And that’s the upside, where it’s like potential can get a little intoxicating. He has the talent. There’s no reason for him not to reach that level. He’s got to go through it; he’s got to fail.”
On the brink of elimination, Jalen Green is about to experience one of the first great failures of his career, but VanVleet says that it’s all a part of the journey to success. For VanVleet and the entire Rockets franchise, Green is on an All-NBA trajectory, and he’s right up there with some of the best at his position.
Historically, Green still has a lot to prove, as the shooting guard position is historically great with legends like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson being some of the best. While the game has changed a lot over the years, the shooting guard position is still pretty stacked, and it’s impressive for a fourth-year player to be compared with the likes of Devin Booker, Jaylen Brown, and Donovan Mitchell.
Out of all the top shooting guards, Anthony Edwards is arguably the best one still active today. This season, in 79 games, Edwards averaged 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on 44.7% shooting. The 23-year-old guard is already a 3x All-Star and the face of Timberwolves basketball.
After Edwards, most experts agree that Devin Booker or Donovan Mitchell comes next, but Jalen Green is quietly building a strong case, and he’s still just 23 years old. Drafted 2nd overall in 2021, Green has seen steady and consistent growth in his career so far with averages of 20.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game on 42.3% shooting.
He helped the Rockets secure the second-best record in the West this season at 52-30, alongside a solid young core in Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr. In the playoffs, Houston has struggled to keep up with the Golden State Warriors, and Green’s struggles have been a big reason why.
Besides a 38-point performance in Game 2, Green has been a shell of himself this postseason with an average of 15.5 points per game that includes a 7-point performance in Game 1, a 9-point performance in Game 3, and an 8-point performance in Game 4.
Down 3-1, the Rockets are facing elimination tonight, on their home court, and the odds will be stacked against them. Only with a united front and strong leadership from Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun can the Rockets climb their way back and beat the odds to advance to the next round. Only then will Jalen Green finally make the leap and get the same respect that some of his peers are getting across the NBA.
