The trying times of Jalen Green
The no. 2 pick is falling behind his peers — for now.
First things first, I think Jalen Green is going to be a very good NBA player.
Someday.
Currently, he's taken the mantle for "Worst Green in the NBA" from Old Uncle Jeff.
Right now he's taking his lumps and highlighting just how vast a difference there is between rookies and experienced pros. Do you remember when Jalen ripped through Summer League, scorching the competition and leading many people to peg him as the favorite for Rookie of the Year? Well, times have changed, and right now Jalen's not even in the top five of most people's rookie ranks.
He's missed time with a hamstring injury, which hasn't helped him find a rhythm. Houston is a terrible team, with no intent to field even a mediocre team this season. In the 27 games Green has played, he's experienced only 3 wins. All that losing takes a toll.
Overall, he looks like a pretty standard perimeter-based rookie — he's shooting a lot with low efficiency, he over-dribbles, and he's mistake-prone.
But potentially worst of all — the kid is hopelessly, miserably, unforgivably lost on the defensive end of the floor. On defense he's two scoops of Jeff Green with not even a sprinkle of Draymond Green. Defense is perhaps the biggest reason that Draymond mentioned how unlikely it is that championship-contending teams count on rookies for significant minutes. The game is too fast, the reads are too sharp and the opponents are too skilled to even allow a second of indecision. In the NBA, if you pause to think about what to do, you're finished.
Speaking of Draymond, if you think he gets mad at the little lapses here and there on his current team, he may blow a few blood vessels if he had to suffer Jalen Green's version of defense for thirty minutes a night. They could never mic Draymond up for a game like this because nothing he would say would possibly be appropriate to hear.
With Jalen Green, all the classic sins of rookie defense are present: guys slip backdoor, he gets beat off the dribble, and he's late on rotations (when he rotates at all). It's Trae Young-playing-defense levels of bad. But Trae's diminutive frame gives him an inherent limitation — Jalen Green is 6'4" and wildly athletic.
It's the same baptism by fire that has welcomed many a young guard to the league. By all accounts the kid is a hard worker. He's an immense talent with a desire to be great. He'll learn and improve. There are still flashes of light in the darkness.
Being a rookie is hard enough and being in Houston does not make it any easier. Things are pretty grim in Space City. Two-thirds of the local strippers have had to find other work since James Harden left town. Sengun is hurt. Josh Christopher is an even worse defender than Jalen Green. The Rockets look so bad that another Green — Gerald — has seen enough awful basketball to make him think he can still play in this league. So he's giving up his role as Houston's player development coach to attempt an NBA comeback. And in a "we might as well make the food as disgusting as the team" attempt, the Rockets are unveiling new and horrifying forms of cuisine:
The Houston Rockets unveiled new culinary options at Toyota Center for Friday’s home game versus Dallas, including a jumbo mac-and-cheese hot dog complete with Fruit Loops and bacon toppings.
I guess that's one way to approach organizational synergy.
The NBA should make a rule that if Tilman Fertitta wants to keep Jalen Green, he has to eat one of those Frankenstein-ed food disasters on the jumbotron after every home loss with his bare hands and no napkin.
Maybe that could get a smile out of poor Jalen. He sure hasn't had much to smile about so far.
About last night…
The Pelicans won off a buzzer beater in front of their own crowd. For one night, all of the Zion concerns are ridden. Thank you, Brandon Ingram:
New Orleans needs some joy. Brandon Ingram's 33 points and 9 assists were joyful. All indications are that New Orleans is looking to buy, not sell, in this upcoming trade season. There's a world in which the situation around Ingram gets better even without Zion.
For NBA anarchists like me, I want to see Brandon Ingram swapped with Ben Simmons. That would make me happy. The Pelicans would have two true NBA unicorns on the floor at the same time in Zion's return.
The Grizzlies keep rolling and keep earning their spot in this newsletter. They've won ten straight, and last night's victory over Golden State was their biggest win yet.
Even a game without a crazy Ja Morant highlight is worth showing. No words left to describe him. It's the other guys, guys like Ziaire Williams and Tyus Jones stepping up, that make them so dangerous.
Steph posted 27-10-10. Klay scored 14. The rest of the Warriors... didn't report as well. Both teams were missing important pieces (Draymond for GSW, Brooks for MEM) but Morant Madness is real, and I think the Grizzlies are playoff ready.
Moments like these are our raison d'etre...
Scores, stats, and notes
Wizards 122, Thunder 118 — Lots to unpack here. First, KCP and Montrezl Harrell got into a physical altercation at halftime of the game. What? And then KCP finishes off OKC with a bank three... I rhyme, but I'm not a rapper.
Suns 99, Raptors 95 — In non-mascot related news, Phoenix rallied in the fourth quarter to put Toronto away. CP3's 15 and 12 sealed the win.
Bulls 133, Pistons 87 — First place Chicago cruises to a 46-point victory. 8 guys in double figures — they're not losing to bad teams.
Grizzlies 116, Warriors 108 — Ja Morant has more to say:
Pelicans 128, Timberwolves 125 — Where is KAT getting this confidence from?
Clippers 87, Nuggets 85 — The Clippers came back from down 25 to beat Denver! Mr. October scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter run, including this punch on Jokic:
