Only two-plus seasons into Jalen Green’s career, it would seem too early for the Houston Rockets’ 21-year-old guard to face the level of scrutiny where every game is a referendum on his future.
However, when Green has a performance like he did on Monday — when he missed 9 of 15 shots, including 7 of 9 3-pointers, and did not log one minute in the fourth quarter of the Rockets’ 121-116 road loss to the Golden State Warriors — questions bubble to the surface.
The Rockets, who host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, dropped all three games of a road swing through Los Angeles and San Francisco. In the finale of that trip, the Rockets forged a fourth-quarter comeback without the second overall pick of the 2021 draft, posting 35 points in the period before succumbing to the Warriors for a second time this season.
Houston rolled with a backcourt of Fred VanVleet and Aaron Holiday down the stretch. Green is the Rockets’ second-leading scorer at 18 points per game, but his 46.2 effective field-goal percentage is the lowest of his three-season career. His absence late on Monday was telling.
Of course, something could be said of the Rockets defensively after they surrendered a season high in points for a regulation game. Houston constructed its surprising start to the season on an effective defense, so the breakdowns against the Warriors were unexpected.
Against Memphis, the Rockets won’t face that same level of exceptional shooting.
The Grizzlies remain without starters Ja Morant (suspension), Marcus Smart (foot) and Steven Adams (knee), plus valuable reserves Brandon Clarke (Achilles), Luke Kennard (knee) and Xavier Tillman Sr. (knee).
That lack of depth played a role in their 102-100 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday and continues to undermine any progress following a season-opening six-game skid.
The Grizzlies have a long road ahead before some reinforcements arrive. Their effort against Boston provided a blueprint for how they could achieve a moderate level of success.
