Why Jalen Green is struggling to start the year for the Houston Rockets

[@ndb_in_nz]

Sure is a lot of denial and defensiveness in the comments 👀

[@screech517]

Not denial we actually watch all the games unlike this clown! Dude needs to stick to collecting sneakers!

[@jasonh9787]

Not me. I’m a rockets fan and jalen is trash lol we’re winning despite of him

[@GameTheoryPodcastwSamVecenie]

lol did some bot farm go nuts and start going to war in the comments here bringing up the rebounding every time when he's actually averaging fewer rebounds this year than he did last year? What am I missing lol.

[@FrengloBuenamente]

Players are best valued during playoffs.. so you should wait until playoffs sure you will know who the rockets needed.

[@pon372]

@@FrengloBuenamente😂😂😂 so based on your knowledge of basketball, he’ll magically get better in the playoffs or give you something you never gave you during the season? Lmfao you ppl are delusional as hell.

[@Brunkbrank]

Lmao @ multiple people saying "stop stat watching, watch the games" like this video isnt a breakdown of game film........ goofies

[@bcs259]

That’s the funniest part about the comment section. They can’t even really say he’s cherry-picking because this has been most games since that really good stretch at the beginning of the season. As a rockets fan it’s irrefutable that he can create separation but he does not make good decisions that lead to good offense

[@jasonh9787]

Those are delvsional jalen stans lmao I’m a rockets fan and even I know he’s been underperforming and not worth the contract he got paid

[@bastadimasta]

Very well put analysis. We all want Jalen Green to be better but he is what he is. Some people put him on a pedestal and worship in Jalen's fictional "potential." These people hurt Jalen more than who criticize him.

[@hobowithagun24]

It is April 2035 and Jalen is coming off a heater of a march and rocket fans believe he is finally putting it all together.

[@meh27143]

Jalen Green division within the Rockets fanbase is basically those who look at his totality vs. those who look at his good games as "this is who he really is" and all his bad games as "this is just him being young you gotta be patient." And his detractors look at the entirety of his work and just see someone anywhere from below-average to mediocre level of play. That said, before this season, one can argue at least that for better or worse, the Rockets need Green's shot creation because the team is devoid of offensive talent. That's actually changed this year. Sengun has taken another step up while Amen Thompson and Tari Eason have both improved their offense. And if you watch the Rockets offense without Jalen Green, it runs really, really well. So instead of the old days when you gotta hope Green plays well to win a game, now it's really more up to Green to adjust his game to be more of a role player. Cut down on the stupid shots, don't pound the ball to the ground, and focus more energy on defense.

[@snowflake0089]

Anyone that thinks Jalen Green is helping the Rockets more than hurting them doesn't know much about how winning at basketball works. He makes way more bad plays than good plays pretty much every game, and for some reason his decision making has barely improved, if at all, since his rookie season. I'd like to see this Rockets team without Jalen Green wasting so many possessions.

[@siddharthrobertkumar]

I don't know what standards some of the comments are holding him to. 36% in a month is dogshit by any standards I don't care that it's not as bad as his rock bottom. Yes he's a much better defender but we didn't give him a 100mil dollar contract for it. He's still one of the top shot takers on the team! Using the record to defend him is dumb because the first two months are the softest of the schedule. He plays like this come Jan, we are dropping down the standings fast. He's either gotta shoot better or take fewer shots.

[@bdsball31]

Green is destined to be a sixth man once this lottery pick luster wears off. Reduce his decision making, let him cook against second units. Tari and Amen are better basketball players.

[@REAL0223]

I’m a massive Jalen fan. But he’s been playing like shit. I think a lot of it is due to coaching but the lions share is on him. Just make your shots. Brother is supposed to be a scorer. Then score! He struggles with simple shit making that I really didn’t think he’d struggle with in the NBA. Process aside, he needs to get the ball in the basket. Period. 39% from the field doesn’t cut it. No excuses.

[@Craftmaker-m4k]

To many 3s needs to use his whole arsenal mid range getting to the basket and foul line etc

[@dmostthamostquialty3012]

I’m a Houston Rocket 🚀 super fan I promise I’m from Houston and everything you’re saying on the break down everything is true and I love Jalen but he has to do better with decisions.

[@scotty2947]

The most frustrating play in my opinion was the one at 14:45 - where he comes to help on a Brook Lopez 3 and then leaves him while he still has the ball... You just have to be smarter than that.

[@pon372]

He has very low basketball IQ. I can’t stand guys with low bball IQ

[@jamese9434]

Dude his team is 11-5 Jalen is playing within the constraints of the team. Alpi is the the number option Jalen has gotten better and became a better teammate Houston plays 10 deep bro is winning

[@bastadimasta]

Actually Jalen's worse than the last year

[@AaronHernandez-hm9ut]

@@bastadimasta no he's not. The stats don't tell the story of the actual game. Jalen's percentages are largely low bc when he gets hot then he chunks up shots. There's at least 6 or 7 games that we won bc Jalen put us in position offensively. I'm not even a Jalen fan. I was very critical of him in the offseason. But the way he impacts the game isn't represented by stats

[@shahtajali6321]

​@@AaronHernandez-hm9utI agree....He will get better as season goes. Yes he does jack up a lot of 3s, but he passes the ball to open players and plays defense now.

[@bastadimasta]

@AaronHernandez-hm9ut nonsense. Jalen is statistically behind his last year's performance almost in every category. Games are not won because of one players performance but a teams combined effort.

[@jmard3101]

​@@bastadimastaactually checked his firs 20 games last season was worst compared to now. Even though it is same efficiency wise, he was net negative in defense. His stats firsr 20 games last seasom was 41.9%fg 33.6%3fg 79%ft 4.6 reb 3 ast 0.5 stl 2.4 blks 2.4tov 18.5 pts 0.7+- ; whereas his last 17 games this season, 39%fg 32.1%3fg 85.2%ft 4.9reb 2.9ast 0.9stl 0.3blks 19.4pts 3.6+- Is it great? Nope. Its not bad either. Did he improve? Certainly, albeit a little. Too early to judge for now, we can only tell after the end of this season on what hell become.

[@richbase7005]

So let me know where the rockets are record would be if he wasn’t for his heater in the beginning of the year, cause nobody was playing well but him and he came through I. The clutch , he is playing like the c in Tracy says

[@RobertLandHoustonSportsTalk]

He was hot from 3 early but his midrange & at the rim stats have been bad all yr. He hit some big shots in a couple games early but this attention to detail that Sam's highlighted is the difference between turning into a star or just being an avg NBA Joe. Pointing out Jalen's short stretches is exactly the issue. Greatness is Consistency, processing, decision making & basketball IQ. This is from a Rockets fan who watches every game & who wants Jalen to be THE Guy

[@jasonh9787]

Just bc he’s good for a couple games doesn’t mean anything. He’s still the weakest link on this team

[@richbase7005]

@ the weakest , you have to come with facts before saying that ?

[@NexusMR653]

I think the shot mechanics up top can get tweaked like you mentioned, which would help a lot. Adding more change of pace would help but I think he is already doing more of it. I see what you mean about the decision making but at the same time we need him to be that superstar scorer, be aggressive, and take some of those critical shots (midranges, 3s, paint shots all of them.) Like Tatum said about that game where coach K got mad at him even though he was playing the right way, sure you want them to make good decisions most of the time. But I would argue for stars maintaining a certain confidence and aggressiveness to take certain shots even in scenarios where a teammate has a better look is absolutely necessary (especially for a Star SG). Like that mid range over Dame, I get that brooks was open but Jalen had a hot hand in the 4th, it’s a shot he liked and made a good amount of especially in March, and so far he is one of the leaders in clutch points. Even if we have some growing pains, the first half of the season I would rather empower him to take those shots in high leverage moments for growth (within reason like open or even difficult but makable shots, nothing dumb or super low probability). Mid range shots like that Dame shot are big for morale and team morale is at its highest when he is on. Still a long way to go but I think he is making strides and the shot will come again like his start in October. All the great SGs call their number sometimes and I would rather Jalen keep the confidence to do so rather than lose it, because once that’s gone you’ll never be a superstar SG. To me it feels like he still walking on nails a bit and is not empowered/afraid to get himself going as much ( especially compared to FVV who is allowed to take some crazy shots and miss but not get benched like Jalen would). I would really like to see him play with the confidence he had in March, because other than the hot shooting he also had the star confidence and inspired his team like a star would. Right now we are still winning and can afford growing pains, ANT had plenty of moments where he was inefficient before he hit his leap in year 4 but he never lost confidence and the franchise believed in him. I think Jalen has the hardware and skill set, with some further tweaks to mentality and mechanics I believe he can hit the star SG archetype like ANT, SGA, Tmac, Kobe, SG Harden (as great as triple double PG Harden was, I believe the 30+ 5 5 era Harden would be the version we want for Jalen and this team) etc…. Hopefully within the next 25 games he can get a good mix of solid efficiency from 3, mid range, and the paint to approach an average of 25 pts 7 reb 5 ast and 1 steal with efficient scoring. I think he is capable of doing this, but he needs to figure it out and we still have time. I definitely want him to be a great decision maker and play maker, but not forget his roots as scorer because that is the biggest thing we need him to be. Scoring off himself, scoring off assists, dishing, defending, closing games, hitting big/timely shot, and stopping the bleeding when everyone else cold. Still a long way to go, but we are winning so we should face those growing pains head on. He has the highest ceiling and it’s still worth believing and trying, unless we can get a Booker, SGA, ANT, etc….and if he hits he’s right there with any of them. From the 12 games I watched this year and this breakdown, my takeaway is that unfortunately year 4 has started and he’s still not where we want him to be consistently but it’s still at least a 50/50 shot of him being able to hit that potential long term. We’ve played a lot of different rotations and the offense went from a mix of being Sengun and Jalen focused to FVV, Sengun, and Jalen (with Jalen having to capitulate the most so far as Fred brings up the ball way more these days and gets some crazy shots). To an extent I would rather he take/learn from that part of Fred’s no remorse mentality. That is the SG mentality, or at least the confidence/mental toughness he needs. He needs to have the good decision making to pass the ball when it’s not his time/day, but at any moment always be ready and confident to hit that shot

[@oguzkorkmaz1669]

One feature very crucial to the star SG archetype is intelligence, and you either have it or not…

[@NexusMR653]

He has the necessary IQ. Again he is an SG not PG, they have intelligence but they also take risks with big shots because it’s what they do. He has made great plays in every game, but sure there are mistakes too. The issue is some of the shots didn’t convert, but like Ime said they are not bad looks. If the shots were falling this would not be a discussion right now

[@boibng7861]

That superstar scorer mindset means nothing when you dont have the shot making ability. Everything about green is hypothetical,

[@alisyed7659]

Jalen Green was a Game Time Decision, Jalen is under the weather. Instead of Stat watching you should pay attention to the players health. Respect to Jalen Green playing through a Flu, Star Players usually sit out Games with a Flu. Jalen Green takes pride playimg through injuries and ailments.

[@GameTheoryPodcastwSamVecenie]

instead of stat watching by diving deep and breaking down his actual tape for 45 minutes lmao.

[@screech517]

Bro you’re clearly a hater. The Rockets are balling! And Green has improved significantly especially on defense and rebounding.

[@RobertLandHoustonSportsTalk]

@@screech517 His rebounding is down from last yr. His midrange shooting & shooting at the rim is down. The D is better from early last yr but no real improvement from the end of last season until this season. One of the best athletes in the NBA & just isn't noticeable with his off ball D. As Sam pointed out, he's playing the worst playmakers on a consistent basis. He should be able to make an impact in the Tari & Amen way with steals, deflections, etc

[@08Derrock]

@@screech517 As a Rockets fan, Jalen is our weakest link. I commend Sam.

[@screech517]

@ let’s just forget when Şengün went down last year and Green damn near carried us to the playoffs by his damn self. Dude killed a fully healthy Suns team in that stretch as well OKC and he had Demar Dorazon crashing out too!

[@rebitedon]

Dang... Green can get no breaks. Anything less than a superstar and everyone and their mama ready to ship him.

[@pon372]

He’s trash! 🚮

[@rooneygasparpinto3342]

Great video sam I’m loving his defense this year but that things you pointed out are interesting I will keep an eye on that and the decision making has always been his achilles heel…

[@sinemcelik2161]

Play simple and found open shot its enough we are good now i am not complaining

[@慈曦]

Pretty much the exact same thing I was thinking when I watched the game, like every clips. He is just not a smart player, not a good shooter and not a crafty player. It’s painful to watch his game as a diehard rocket’s fan.

[@慈曦]

Except the midrange against dame, brooks was cold all game and Alp is not a good shooter. The problem here is not the decision to take the midrange, is his inability to make it😂Again, he is not a good, steady shooter.

[@dannyfernandez9353]

Excellent breakdown. I feel talent is there. Ultimately it's decision making. Idl why someone hasn't told him that settling for a step back 3 pointer with 15 on clock is never a good shot. He could be so efficient one half/ and then second half be shooting 25%.

[@rhopere]

I'd be interested to see the comparison between the first five games or so of the season plus his awesome March of last year and see if he's making better decisions/what it would take to simply tap into that all the time

[@reezySZN]

got to disagree on AJ Green. It looked like he fouled Jalen Green like three different times.

[@elgad82]

nope his doing a good job.,he is a leading scorer of Houston.,and houston is winning.,ask pacer what happen to there team.,and chicago bulls.,they are trash team now.,

[@H-Town_83]

Your tripping on Jalen defense is for one big reason. Having Dillon, Tari, and Amen, he never has to be the best defender on the floor. He's become competent enough and had the want to, to where teams can't abuse him. I think the Rockets schematicly are horrible on offense. They should be scheming Jalen into better situations. Ime is a great defensive coach, but his offense relies on players just beating the other team.steph can get 20 a game just iso ball. But because Steve Schemes plays for him, he's able to get easy buckets to get in rhythm.

[@eddiecainbeats]

Like if you like this about Jalen green this season then what rockets team have you been watching

[@jsdzx]

I was a big non believer in Jalen. Use to call him a poster child for AAU ball. Not saying he Anthony Edward’s, but you can see the work offensively and defensively. Way more in control, less dribbling. The shooting is not quite there but I’m a process yields results guy. You can see the foundation changes he has made, I’m hopeful there. End of the day we still on bonus money and have time. I don’t need any major wholesale changes personally.

[@lolujubril]

I genuinely think I can make those elite passes

[@unknowndreamz3843]

Jordan Jalen Green Clarkson

[@darkskywalker4031]

One of the worst guard in the league

[@JunZendhong]

A lot guard and offguard shooting bad this season and a lot of that are all star so what are u talking about he plays better defense and rebounding is and playmaking also improve

[@pon372]

Those guys have a history of shooting better, Jalen does not. Thats the difference. You ppl are delusional defending Jalen

[@Jgann15]

Clearly dude don’t watch the games lol stats won’t show the impact he’s had on games already this year. Tons of talent on the team and doesn’t need to be on any one guy anymore

[@chancedurheim4961]

This is quite literally a 45 minute video of him watching the games. What in the world are you talking about

[@drazzzpoppp5022]

He had two options 1.Be Cam Thomas and vomit on rest of team in process 2.Be team player and not get koed by Udoka eventually

[@porkchop8920]

Cam Thomas is better than Green, he just doesn’t have the same aesthetic/athleticism bias and doesn’t have the top pick pedigree

[@jmard3101]

Only 2 things that I can say to jalens future. Its either he will get the Jaylen Brown projection, which is his best case scenario - knowing he got critized on being a raw player with slow start and low BBall IQ. ORRRR he'll become a jamal crawford 6th man, not great but not the worst that can happen to him.

[@almondviloriatattoo]

Idk why I’m watching this… the smell of his shoes could affect his thought about basketball…Rocket must be 12-4 if Sengun got bucket and simply Catch the ball 🤦🏻‍♂️💁🏻‍♂️

[@pon372]

Jalen is trash! 🚮

[@tobiasfulton1837]

His defense has been very good at least

[@eddiecainbeats]

Bra what are you even talking about right now they all are playing amazing quit stat watching.

[@RobertLandHoustonSportsTalk]

This whole video was the opposite of stat watching. What are you talking about?

[@hughtaylor1129]

Are you a simpleton of something he was doing the opposite of stat watching

[@eddiecainbeats]

@ you and him are slow for this commentary So who wanna bet me the rockets will not only make the playoffs but will upset any of the teams we play. But it’s always people who probably never played a sport in life making these terrible assessments

[@hughtaylor1129]

@ first of all you can call breaking down the game slow all you want I don’t care, secondly I think the rockets will make the playoffs but I have no idea who you think they’re gonna upset

[@AaronHBabin]

The issue with JG is he never finds a flow, if they ran plays for him to get a rhythm in the first few minutes of the game he’s better.

[@RobertLandHoustonSportsTalk]

They've tried it. Didn't happen. FVV was hurt in Wiz game & he was awful the whole game. Looked a lot like Silas JG

[@luckychukwuma3822]

Facts 100%

[@wuzi7049]

Anyone complaining about jalen this season isn't actually watching and understanding the games. Stop just stat watching and actually watch games!

[@Brunkbrank]

This is a film breakdown..... aka watching games and analyzing

[@Fvnnymn]

Watched every game of his entire career, not kidding. He doesn’t know how to play winning basketball. Is he extremely skilled, yes of course but he can’t process the game

[@kevincol808]

@@Brunkbrank Yeah, from one game. I've been a Jalen Green critic but even I've seen his handle, decision making and even defense has improved from last season.

[@siddharthrobertkumar]

​​@kevincol808and some games he still drives into a crowd. Still drives to the cup without a plan. Gets blocked more than any guard I've seen. Still premeditates his reads and then forces the pass even when the window isn't there. Yes he's a better defender and key to our defensive identity but we didn't give him a 100mil dollar contract for that. Also shooting 35% FG in a month by any standard is disastrous, especially with the number of shots he still takes. This is a very dumb hill to die on.

[@jasonh9787]

Nah I’m a rockets fan and Sam is right. The team is winning in spite of jalen playing terrible. He’s gotten better in some areas but he is still below average and not worth the contract he got paid

[@h-town623]

I liked Jalen at 25 million. Next contract will be about worth rather than projected worth. Have a conversation about NBA rookie contracts that forces teams to make these decisions to early in some situations.

[@derrickgiles5288]

Why is everyone worried about his shot?? He is playing good defense and rebounding

[@boibng7861]

amen a better defender and rebounder if thats all you care about, bench jalen

[@derrickgiles5288]

@boibng7861 of course it is. But jalen is doing other things. Thats what yall casuals dont get or see. Now he got 40 2night. Now what u wanna complain about?

[@SiriusBlack-wh6uh]

4 years in and still no bag

[@rudymaglalang5975]

I am a big fan of jalen green only jalen green can bring houston in the playoff jalen he has so many moves to the basket🏀🏀🏀

[@pon372]

😂😂😂 all you Jalen Green fans are not only delusional but high on drugs

[@alisyed7659]

I am more concerned about Jabari Smith and Dillon Brooks. Do these players fit. Dillon Brooks shooting is a issue and his defense when he gets tired he fouls.

[@reezySZN]

Dillon Brooks has been one of our best players this season. He literally leads our team in box +/-.

[@jsdzx]

@@reezySZN, damn do they watch. This was probably his lone stinker. He has been the most consistent guy of them all lol

[@bizzyboomin9277]

lol dillon had one bad game and yall worried he been on fire all year until last night

[@dimitriskalogerakis7135]

Jalen Green getting moreand more mature.Are u blind ???

[@bigpain76]

THIS MUST BE CLICKBAIT HE'S THE ROCKETS LEADING SCORER THIS YEAR 19.4 POINTS PER GAME LEADING MEANING THE BEST SMH WHY YOU SNEAKY SILLY LITTLE HATER LOL

[@kingzero1433]

Calm down.

[@hughtaylor1129]

Stats aren’t everything

[@CM-ft9ep]

Just say you don't understand the film breakdown. It's fine.

[@bigpain76]

​@@kingzero1433Yo mama

[@bigpain76]

​@@hughtaylor1129It's hard to lie when the numbers are in your face

[@patriotpatriot1111]

Rockets are currently the third seed in the western conference. 1 game behind the first seed. #3 Defense overall in the NBA. Jalen has been a major contributor on both sides of the ball and carried the team when Alperen, Fred and Jabari had a slow starts to the season. Why no breakdowns after Jalen’s solid games?! In no universe is Shaedon Sharpe better than Jalen Green btw. Stop with the false narratives. Why not breakdown how the Rockets are making their surprising (to some) OKC leap to top of the west this year?

[@RobertLandHoustonSportsTalk]

Sam gives more positive oxygen to the Rockets than any other national NBA analyst. You obviously don't watch or listen to his stuff regularly

[@patriotpatriot1111]

I love Sam and listen to him regularly. I listen to you as well, and you’re an obvious Jalen hater.

[@jasonh9787]

Jalen is not good my guy. Rockets would be better off replacing him with a better playmaker and better shooter

[@patriotpatriot1111]

@ Jalen is good my guy. Sometimes he’s even great. He’s just inconsistent as most young players are. He’s made tremendous strides under coach Udoka to become an effective overall player even when his shot is not falling. Stay tuned. Jalen is still only 22 years old.

[@jaronferrell3222]

It's getting old having random dudes just read stats, get a microphone, and pretend to be an expert

[@hughtaylor1129]

Did you watch the video?

[@pon372]

Jalen is trash! 🚮

[@alexyoung5836]

I can fix him

[@verbalchrist]

Roosh is that you? 😅

[@bigpain76]

AND STOP BEING RIDICULOUS TRADE ALPI FOR GIANNIS HE'S 31-16 AND 6 ON THE YEAR! GET YOU A REAL RIM PROTECTING BIG WHO IS A LEGITIMATE THOROUGHBRED

[@bizzyboomin9277]

we should trade for nick claxton since brooklyn moving everybody probably wouldnt take much

[@vaudou_]

You seem like a fanboy with an agenda

[@bigpain76]

​@@vaudou_The agenda is to get better! You seem like a hater with an agenda

[@vaudou_]

@@bigpain76 The agenda should be to win titles. Not go for short term success. People like you are impatient people like you are why some teams never win anything.

[@inasty16]

Talkin bout all these offensive analytical stats when we’re 11-5 and you wanna discredit his defensive growth on eye test cuz it’s convenient to your vid…sad you have an agenda against a 22 year old

[@bastadimasta]

Big words but nonsense. Why would he have ab agenda. Jalen Green is a player. People like you turn Jalen into a taboo subject that cannot be talked about but only praised.

[@inasty16]

@@bastadimastaJG never been praised by outside media.

[@bastadimasta]

@inasty16 not media but fans

[@inasty16]

@@bastadimasta nah even when JG was goin off at the end of last year people still had negativity around him. Of course ima defend my team when they’re unfairly criticized

[@bastadimasta]

@inasty16 on the contrary, our fanbase always forgave Jalen's continuous bad performance for the sake of his few good performances. The fans tolerated Jalen more than any other player.

[@FrengloBuenamente]

Dude they're winning. Stop the hate. Who do you want? kevin durant? Stop destroying there chemistry

[@pon372]

They’re winning in spite of Jalen being horrible. He’s shooting 38% from the floor. They’ll be the best team in the West if Jalen is playing good

[@MoBeezy88]

Yes Jalen does need to be more consistent on offense and imo it’s a combination of not making open/good shots and decision making.

[@RacanderStevenson]

Too many young players who can all do the same things and play the same positions! And the rockets with these analytics shit. He needs to shoot more midrange jumpers to open up his game!

[@inasty16]

Check his defensive stats and then tell me how much he’s contributing…

[@Chorizomicks]

Paying someone to chuck the ball and play defense 25-30mil. Y’all weak

[@inasty16]

@@Chorizomicks what we got a mavs fan? What’s yalls record rn?

[@Chorizomicks]

@@inasty16 I’m from Houston. JG sucks

[@inasty16]

@@Chorizomicks okay bud

[@Chorizomicks]

@ ok JG fan boi. Keep dreaming him being decent. Guy has 0 ball iq

[@O.G-SENSEI-Y.T]

Hater Alert ‼️ 🚨🫵🏾

[@pon372]

Hater? For pointing out facts? Guess what Jalen shooting fg percentage is for the season? Fkn 38%, worst of all starting guards in the league

[@spiritformula]

Jalen is not an efficient shooter.