Rockets Star Jalen Green Has 'Basketball IQ of a Baby Hamster', According to Jimmy Kimmel's Mean Tweets

Not a very nice thing to say.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 14, 2022

Houston Rockets rookie Jalen Green is a rising star in the NBA. And with that stardom comes criticism, whether it's warranted or not.

The Rockets rookie was on the receiving end of some pretty harsh tweets, one of which was read by Green himself on the latest edition of Jimmy Kimmel's "Mean Tweets."

"Jalen Green has the IQ of a baby hamster," a mean NBA fan tweeted.

Given Green's ascent towards the end of the season, this is simply a false statement.

Green turned a corner during the final 10 games last season. In eight of those games, Green scored at least 20 points, scoring over 30 points in six of those contests and a career-high 41 points in the final game of the season against the Atlanta Hawks. He was one game shy of tying a rookie record set by Allen Iverson for consecutive 30-point performances.

Green averaged 17.3 points per game during his first NBA campaign, 0.1 points shy of the league lead for rookies. He also made First Team All-Rookie alongside Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, Toronto Raptors Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes and Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner.

The Rockets now enter their second full year in a rebuild with a foundational piece in Green, who has every opportunity to become the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future.

The team is set to add to the foundation Green laid out in next week's NBA Draft with the 3rd and 17th overall picks.

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Published Jun 14, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.