Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green strives to be more than a scorer

After becoming the Houston Rockets coach last year, Ime Udoka told his young and talented guard Jalen Green that he could score big and had highlight reel dunks, but asked how he was going to impact the game in different ways.

Green impacted the game in a different way at the end of a 91-90 NBA Cup quarterfinals win against the visiting Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. With the Rockets down 90-89 with 3.5 seconds left, Green stole an errant pass and was fouled by Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga. Green made two free throws that sealed the win for the Rockets and clinched a trip to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday.

Green recalled to Andscape that Udoka told him in their meeting to “be able to score the ball and on defense. When shots are not falling, how are you going to impact the game in other ways whether it’s a steal, blocked shot, playing defense? Things like that.”

Green arrived in Houston as the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NBA draft and with a reputation as an electric scorer after playing for G League Ignite.

Green averaged 17.3 points as a rookie during the 2021-22 season and quickly built a reputation as one of the most intimidating NBA dunkers. During his sophomore season, the slender 6-foot-4, 178-pounder averaged a career-high 22.1 points on 17.9 attempts but on 41.7% shooting. While his scoring average was high, he had a reputation for taking questionable shots.

The Rockets struggled during Green’s first two seasons. The team won only 20 games in 2021-22 and 22 games in 2022-23. Green realized that he needed to do more than just “get in the lab” to improve his game. The Merced, California, native described his first two seasons as tough and described how he needed to improve.

“Growth. Trusting my teammates. Taking the right shots. Not just taking bad shots all the time. Taking one that’s open and being aggressive when I need to,” Green said.

On April 26, 2023, the Rockets hired Udoka as their new coach after he coached the Boston Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals. Udoka was a journeyman NBA player known for his defense and toughness. Udoka said during his news conference that the Rockets had a “tremendous amount of young talent and the sky’s the limit” with Green, center Alperen Sengun and forward Jabari Smith.

Udoka met with Green shortly after being hired and pushed adding more depth to his game on both ends. Udoka wanted him to take better shots, read defenses better, make his teammates better and commit to defending with his athletic talent.

“Coming in, obviously watching a ton of film and playing against him, he had really good natural scoring [ability],” Udoka told Andscape. “That was what he was known as and what his focus was and what he was [asked] to be here, a straight scorer. My thing for everybody is to become more well-rounded.

“For him, a guy with his athleticism who with his first step can get to the rim at will, just become a more well-rounded player. A big part of that were reads at the rim and how the defense is guarding. He is one of our shot creators and he needed to be able to distribute as well as score.”

The Rockets added 2022 NBA All-Star guard Fred VanVleet and gritty wing Dillon Brooks to the team in free agency in the summer of 2023. VanVleet is a 2019 NBA champion who is known for his scoring and defense, while Brooks is one of the toughest defenders in the NBA. The Rockets also added 17-season veteran forward Jeff Green, who won an NBA title with the Denver Nuggets in 2023.

Along with being pushed by Udoka for growth, having respected vets has helped Green.

“When they’ve helped me with is situational. Being aggressive. What to see out there. What to look for. Bring the dog out there,” Green said.

Green’s scoring average dipped to 19.6 points during the 2023-24 season with VanVleet and an improved Sengun. But Udoka noted that Green battled through injuries en route to playing in all 82 regular-season games last season. The Rockets also reached the .500 mark (41-41) for the first time since the 2019-2020 season.

Udoka believes that Green’s overall improvements have been overlooked. Green’s defensive rating was a career-worst 122.5 during the 2022-23 season. Under Udoka, he had a 114.7 rating last season and has a career-best 107 rating so far this season.

“Just because he’s slight of frame and not known as a defensive guy per se, I think people underestimate his toughness and competitiveness,” Udoka said. “Defensively, that is where he is taking his biggest steps. Not only is he taking the individual challenge guarding 1-on-1, but not being a guy that teams hunt and pick on. The numbers showing him guarding 1-on-1 are pretty good.

“Offensively, just continue to grow and not just look at the basket looking to score every time. That was the biggest thing with me is being more well rounded. If you get to your spot every time, you have to be able to make the right read. He’s done a much better job of knowing how teams are guarding him and not forcing shots over two or three people, which was one of weaknesses early on when I got here.”

Even with improvement last season, Green and the Rockets didn’t have much buzz entering this season in the tough Western Conference. Houston, however, entered Friday with the second-best record in the West (17-8). The Rockets also have an opportunity to show that they are for real after advancing to the NBA Cup semifinals to play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Before the team qualified for the semifinals, Green told Andscape it would “mean a lot” to the Rockets to make a statement to get to Las Vegas.

“I’m sure they got their doubts because we are a young team,” Green said. “That’s OK. We don’t worry about what other people think. We are worrying about on what we have to do and how we are going to do it. We’re all dogs. Everyone on the team is a dog …

“Some nights I’m going to have it. Other nights, someone else is going to have it. We have such a talented team. A deep roster. Guys coming in off the bench. Our starting five can all go get it.”

Green plans to quell doubts about him living up to the hype of being a No. 2 draft pick. He’s off to a slow start on offense, averaging 19.2 points on 39.7% shooting from the field, but he is also averaging a career-high 1.2 steals on arguably the NBA’s best defensive team. Green is also just 22 years old with a game that is still evolving.

“People underestimate me,” Green said. “You’re in the NBA. Talented guys. You’re going to score, but it’s not going to be as simple as when you have me as a mismatch …

“I’ve had pressure [to be a star]. That is something I want to accomplish. I’m still young. This is my fourth year in the league. Everything is going to handle itself one day.”

While Green is becoming more well rounded and a defender, fans attending the NBA Cup will certainly be looking for some highlight reel action in Las Vegas. Udoka has played with athletic Hall of Famers such as former San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. He sees some similarities between Green and those players athletically, but wants him to have their same passion for defense.

“He has some things you can’t teach, for sure,” Udoka said of Green. “Obviously, the athleticism flashes the most. His first step is crazy. I always say, ‘These athletic guys with physical traits, how can they not be good defenders with all those tools?’ It’s a mentality thing.”