When the Houston Rockets drafted Jalen Green in 2021, they expected him to become their next franchise superstar.
That didn’t exactly happen, and now four seasons later, Green has been traded to the Phoenix Suns for Kevin Durant.
In four seasons with the Rockets, Green averaged 20.1 points per game, shooting 42 percent from the field, and 34 percent from three-point range. He has shown the ability to have big scoring games, but his efficiency and shot selection have held him back from reaching his full potential.
Green recently made his way onto Bleacher Report’s list of the most overrated players of the last decade. Writer Dan Favale made the case for Green’s selection.
“They kept hopes alive for him to reach stardom, ensuring expectations would never align with the career-long returns,” Favale said. “Green can look the part of a lead ball-handler and scoring option when measuring his performance through the eye test. His on-ball speed is tantalizing, and he's a combination of crafty and detonative around the basket. Still, the numbers are what they are: not good. Averaging over 20 points per game for his career sounds glitzy, but it has come on suboptimal efficiency both on- and off-ball and without enough playmaking development.”
Nonetheless, Green is no longer the Rockets’ problem, and evidently his value was high enough to help Houston land one of the best players of this generation. Luckily for the Rockets, they have still ascended to become contenders in the Western Conference despite Green’s shortcomings.