Fred VanVleet vs. Jalen Green: Who Has Rockets 'Keys'?

The Houston Rockets have Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green in the backcourt, but who holds more importance?

The Houston Rockets have a potential star-studded backcourt with Jalen Green and recent free agent signee Fred VanVleet.

Green, 21, became the new potential face of the franchise when the Rockets made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. In his first two seasons in the league, he's been a consistent 20 points per game scorer, but not with much team success.

To be fair, Houston's plan was never to try and compete for the championship, but now the team plans on being more competitive by signing VanVleet.

On the latest episode of the "Kiss of Death Podcast," I debated with my co-host Michael Brown on who the Rockets belong to ... Green or VanVleet.

When the Rockets hired Ime Udoka, he came in with a new plan to that of former coach Stephen Silas. That plan began with the Rockets signing VanVleet, who is now easily Houston's highest-paid player by more than double to that of the next player, fellow free agent signee Dillon Brooks.

VanVleet and Brooks combined make up over 40 percent of the team's cap space for the upcoming season, but money doesn't always illustrate the hierarchy.

VanVleet's deal will pay him for at least the next two seasons, and the Rockets have a team option for Year 3, the same year Green is due to become a free agent. It's possible that the cap space being used for VanVleet now will eventually become Green's on his second contract. That isn't just a coincidence.

So, who holds the keys to the Rockets? Perhaps the answer here can be both.

Green isn't ready to be the lead guy for a great team, and the Rockets want to be great now. That's why the Rockets got VanVleet, and he wouldn't have left Toronto if he didn't have this opportunity to lead Houston and play alongside Green.

That being said, Green is still a very important cog in the machine. It's really hard to have a great team in the NBA without a scorer like Green, just like it's hard to play well without a sound point guard like VanVleet ... which the Rockets have lacked for the past three years.

Simply put, the Rockets need both Green and VanVleet to be themselves and work together in order for Houston to get to where it wants to be.

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You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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