Inside The Rockets

Jalen Green Joins Elite Group of Former Houston Rockets

Jalen Green is the youngest Houston Rocket to record 4,000 career points.

Jonah Kubicek

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The Houston Rockets have had a mixed week. On one hand, the news surrounding Alperen Sengun and his injury does not look to be positive, but on the other hand, Jalen Green has been absolutely balling.

Criticized for his lackluster defense, inefficient offense, and ball-dominant playstyle, Green has been silencing the doubters left and right recently, averaging 25.3 points over his last six games.

Jalen Green recorded his first-career triple-double in a loss against the Hawks.
Jalen Green recorded his first-career triple-double in a loss against the Hawks / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Oh, and while his shooting splits of 45.9 percent from the floor and 35 percent from deep are not perfect, they are a massive increase from his 42.1 and 31.4 season average. 

During Houston's win over the Sacramento Kings, Green became the youngest player in franchise history to score 4,000 career points, doing so at only 22 years and 30 days. Green beat out James Harden by an entire year.

While Green is the youngest Rocket to reach the milestone, he was not the fastest. It took Green 207 games to achieve the feat, while it took Hakeem Olajuwon 181 games. Harden scored his first 2,795 points with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It took LeBron James only until the seventh game of his third NBA season to reach 4,000, which is only ten percent of his total points scored in the NBA. Luka Doncic, arguably the league's best scorer, took even longer than James.

Domantas Sabonis Believes Rockets' Alperen Şengün's Skill Level is 'Getting Better'

While it's highly optimistic to think that Green will have as long or as successful of a career as James, he is only two-thirds of a season past where James hit his mark. Green is an elite volume scorer who as of late has showcased some elite prowess. 

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Jonah Kubicek
JONAH KUBICEK

Jonah Kubicek has been writing about the NBA since 2021, covering the Pistons, Jazz, Spurs, Magic, Rockets, and Knicks. As a lifelong Spurs fan living in Michigan, he never misses an opportunity to bring up the 2005 NBA Finals (you should have guarded Horry!). He is a long-suffering Tigers fan and closely follows the NFL, although he never found an affinity for the Lions. Jonah graduated from Oakland University with a degree in History and spends his spare time playing tennis or reading. Follow Jonah on Twitter for updates on Tre Jones and other NBA news.

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