Houston Rockets' Jalen Green Debunks 'Empty-Calorie Scorer' Myth

Jalen Green has led the Houston Rockets to some degree of success for the first time this season.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 10, 2024

Apr 9, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) handles the ball against / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

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Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green has taken a step in the right direction this season, and there's reason to believe he could live up to the hype he had when he was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Green's success has prompted Bleacher Report to give him the "This Time It Counts" Award for his efforts.

Apr 9, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) stands in the pregame huddle / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

"Had Green's annual late-season scoring explosion not been integral to the best run of Houston's year, maybe we would have carried on believing Green was an empty-calorie scorer and Sengün was the glue holding the entire Rockets' operation together," Bleacher Report writes.

"March was easily the best month of Green's short career. He averaged 27.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists while posting a 61.3 true shooting percentage across 15 games. And unlike past surges, Green's numbers led to team success. Houston won 13 of those 15 contests."

While Green has cooled off a bit since the Rockets' 11-game win streak came to an end, he has grown to a point to where he can be a long-term example for the team moving forward.

Green and the Rockets are back in action tomorrow night when they take on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT.

Published Apr 10, 2024

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.