Rockets' Jalen Green Needs a Permanent Home in the Paint

Jalen Green is a high-volume shooter from the mid-range and three-point line. However, his skills might be better suited to establish himself as a slashing threat.
Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) controls the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second quarter in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) controls the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second quarter in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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The offensive struggles for the Houston Rockets have reached the national discussion after two rough outings on that end during the highly-publicized NBA Cup.

One of the team’s main issues is its lack of consistent perimeter scoring from its starting backcourt. Starting point guard Fred VanVleet was always meant to take a secondary role in the offense, organizing sets to create opportunities for his teammates. The bigger issue is with his backcourt mate. Jalen Green is a shooting guard that could potentially benefit from shooting less.

Green’s most efficient shot is in the paint. According to shotcreator, a site that aggregates detailed player percentages, Green is shooting nearly 70 percent in the paint. 

His explosiveness in attacking the basket and his added creativity in his finishes explain his efficiency close to the rim. However, his numbers are significantly worse any further from the basket than a layup. 

Green is a high-volume deep range shooter. Unfortunately, his three-point shooting is often one of his weaknesses outside of his rare hot shooting nights. His only efficient three-point shot is in the right-side corner with a 47% clip. He hasn’t hit a single three this season from the opposite corner, and he’s shooting just about 31 percent on threes that aren’t in either corner.

His overall 3-point percentage is around 31%; not a great mark for a player that shoots more than seven 3-pointers a game. Green is absolutely capable of a hot-shooting night from beyond the arc, it just hasn’t happened often enough to be a consistent weapon.

The natural counter to a bad shooting night is to get more shots in the mid-range; another area where Green struggles. His shooting touch from just outside the paint is about 25%. That’s the area where guards traditionally take floaters and runners to beat help-defenders who slide over to stop layups. Green doesn’t have a consistent floater in his game at this point in his career.

From even further out, Green is shooting an even worse percentage. He attempts a lot of moving and stepback shots, which are difficult and inefficient. He doesn’t hit them at a high enough clip to use as a weapon in his game either.

The problem is, it’s clear Green has worked on finding moves and counters to create shots for himself on the perimeter. It may work more in his favor to focus solely on how to increase his ability to get to the rim. 

Players like the Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are two elite guards who don’t depend on a jump shot. Morant might be a strong model for Green’s game as they share elite athleticism. Green has a slight frame like Gilgeous-Alexander, and could benefit from learning his combos and counters that give him leverage, especially against physical defenders. 

A combination of both players’ abilities to get to the rim could culminate in Jalen Green if he committed to becoming a star slasher instead of forcing it with his jump shot. 

The paint is where Green is most efficient. Developing his skill set to get to the rim at will could recover the perception of his game in year four.


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Trenton Whiting
TRENTON WHITING

Trenton is a Houston-born, Pearland-raised University of Houston graduate who first developed his love for journalism while in school. He began his professional career as a sports reporter for a newspaper in Columbus, Texas, before becoming the managing editor.