Houston Rockets' Jalen Green: Time to Hit Panic Button?

Jalen Green has struggled lately for the Houston Rockets, but how concerned should the team be?

When the Houston Rockets selected Jalen Green with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, they anticipated that he would become the franchise's next cornerstone.

Since he's been drafted, Green has impressed, but the team hasn't won a whole bunch. The Rockets won 42 games in Green's first two seasons, but that total is on pace of being eclipsed in his third season alone thanks to several changes made within the team that doesn't have much to do with Green.

On the last two bad Rockets teams, Green was able to excel as a top scoring option with nobody else challenging him for the role. He averaged 17.3 points per game in his rookie year and bumped that number up to 22.1 in his second season. However, this year, the scoring average is at 17.8, just a hair ahead of his rookie-year average.

Perhaps what's more alarming is the fact that he is shooting at a worse clip than he was in his rookie season. His field goal percentage and 3-point percentage are about two points lower than his rookie year, and the eye test hasn't looked good either.

Jalen Green / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

There are times when he'll go through slumps, like the one he's had for the past three games. In 10 games this season, Green has scored fewer than 15 points, including each of his last three. He's made just eight of his last 34 shots over that span.

In the past, when Green was in a slump, coach Stephen Silas would just let him play through it. Silas' Rockets teams were usually losing by a lot, so there was no consequence to keep Green on the floor. However, coach Ime Udoka has a different way of doing things.

If Green is playing poorly, Udoka will move him to the bench. And even though Green has struggled, the Rockets are on a five-game win streak heading into Sunday's contest against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Udoka has the liberty to sit Green when he struggles because the players around him have been stepping up to the plate. Players like Aaron Holiday, Fred VanVleet and Tari Eason have picked up the slack for Green when he's having an off night; that wouldn't have been the case in his first two years in the league.

Rockets vs. Bucks Preview

Even though he entered the league with the highest of expectations, Green is still only 21 years old and doesn't have all the answers ... yet. He's only 20 or so games into his third NBA season; he doesn't have to be the superstar the Rockets need him to be right now.

Green is learning on the fly how to adapt to his new role, which is contributing to his struggles. However, there is too much talent to think that he won't eventually work through it.

Is there a chance that we have seen the best of Green? Yes, of course, nothing is guaranteed. However, the chances of this being a small setback are much higher, and therefore, the Rockets have no reason to hit the panic button on him.