HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- If you judge solely on the stat line, Jalen Green's 13-point night on 3-of-16 shooting against the Utah Jazz was the result of a young player struggling against a very good, veteran opponent, but if you dig deeper the second pick of the draft showed progress and an understanding of what it takes to succeed at basketball's highest level.
Green's shot didn't fall, but he did manage to get to the free throw line after failing to do so during his first four NBA games.
"We were joking about it a little bit that he hasn't shot a free throw in our first four games," Rockets forward Daniel Theis said. you gotta learn to create contact when he goes to the basket, just to get there, not shying away and trying to shoot like just jump shots. You gotta go in there."
Green attempted his fair share of jumpers against the Jazz, but he also made a concerted effort to attack the basket. According to NBA.com, he attempted 14 drives to the basket against the Jazz after averaging just seven during his first four NBA games.
"I wanted to be aggressive," Green said. "My shot wasn't falling in the past two games, so I was trying to open things up for me."
Of Green's 14 drives, six resulted in a shot attempt, with just one make, he was fouled three times, passed the ball to a teammate four times, resulting in one assist and committed one turnover. His drives didn't necessarily turn into a lot of points, but they demonstrated an understanding of how to get better.
"His ability to get to the free throw line was definitely good for him and for our group," Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said. "His shot quality seemed to be pretty good, as far as the eight threes that he shot.
"We are really focusing on the whole group, not just Jalen as far as getting our ball movement together, so those drives will be available, and those open threes will be available, so he did a better job and it's definitely something to watch for him and learn from."
Four days before the game against Utah, Green scored 30 points in a loss to Boston where he connected on 8-of-10 shots from behind the three-point line. That mark is unsustainable, so figuring out ways to score when the shots aren't dropping will allow him to be the player the Rockets drafted him to be.
"Involve your teammates, get everyone else involved, and I think that I did that," Green said. "My shot wasn't falling, so I got to the line."
