Jalen Green’s first-ever playoff series in the NBA certainly wasn’t a memorable one. Green struggled mightily against the Golden State Warriors, and that has led to suggestions that the Houston Rockets should part ways with him. Former NBA player Lou Williams, though, preached patience on Run It Back and compared his struggles to Kobe Bryant’s.
“I’ve heard the talks about them moving him,” Williams said. “Only way you consider moving a guy like Jalen Green is if you have a real chance at going and getting a Ja Morant or a Kevin Durant. One of these guys that are an obvious franchise changers. Other than that, you stay put. You hold your cards where you are.
“You have a nice, young nucleus,” Williams continued. “Granted, he did struggle in these playoffs, but it was his first introduction,” Williams continued. “Imagine if the Lakers turned their backs on Kobe when he played how he played against the Utah Jazz when he was such a young player… It’s not a lot of Jalen Green’s laying around.”
Williams was referring to Bryant shooting four airballs in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz in 1997. His first airball came when he attempted the game-winner at the end of regulation, with the other three coming in overtime as the Lakers lost 98-93.
The Lakers didn’t give up on Bryant after that and, in fact, they probably have been a bit encouraged by the fact that he had the guts to even take those shots. Shaquille O’Neal had fouled out in that game while Robert Horry had been ejected, and the Lakers needed someone to step up.
So, Bryant took it upon himself to guide the Lakers to victory. He failed miserably but an 18-year-old rookie who had been drafted out of high school in 1996 being so fearless in that situation suggested big things lay ahead. That certainly proved to be the case, as Bryant went on to become an all-time great.
While there are similarities between Bryant and Green’s situations, there are also some notable differences. For starters, Green was a 23-year-old in his fourth year in the league after the Rockets selected him with the second pick of the 2021 NBA Draft. Sure, this was his first time in the playoffs, but he has been around for a while.
Green averaged 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game against the Warriors while shooting 37.2% from the field. Despite him playing this poorly, the Rockets only ended up losing in seven games, and you wonder what might have happened had he played even a bit better.
Even if you do give Green a pass as it was his first time in the playoffs, he hasn’t exactly been incredible in the regular season either. Williams had stated there aren’t too many players like the Rockets guard, but he averaged 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2024-25 while shooting 42.3% from the field.
Green might one day turn into a star, but he certainly isn’t on that path right now. He needs to be more efficient as a scorer and has to find ways to have a positive impact on the court when the shots aren’t falling to attain stardom.
