In his first two seasons with the Houston Rockets, Jalen Green has had plenty of individual highlights. The 21-year-old averaged a team-high 22.1 points per game last season, and his five career games of 40-plus points are more than the rest of the NBA’s 2021 draft class combined.
Unfortunately for Green, those individual moments of brilliance haven’t often translated to success at a team level. The Rockets lost at least 60 games in each of those years.
Thus, entering his third season, Green is striving to accomplish more on a team level. With former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka replacing Stephen Silas as head coach, the Rockets are attempting to transition to Phase 2 of their rebuild, and Green says he’s ready.
In an extended conversation on “Podcast P with Paul George,” presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment, Green said this to the Los Angeles Clippers star regarding his new coach in Houston:
I called him on the phone, just to let him know that I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win this year. I’m on that this year, whatever it takes.
He said he was going to be out in LA (Los Angeles, where Green lives in the offseason) and wanted to sit down with (Green), Josh (Christopher) and Tari (Eason). So, we went to dinner and just talked. It wasn’t really talking hoops, it was just trying to get to know each other, and having a good time. It seemed like I’m going to be able to relate to him really good. I think it’s going to be good.
“I think y’all are in good hands,” George replied. “He’s a proven winner. He’s shown that he can do it, he went to the NBA Finals. He’s a players coach who knows how to coach superstars. He just knows how to coach and puts guys in the right position to succeed.”
“He’s gonna bring structure, too,” Green said to George, who agreed with that assessment. “That’s what we need, for sure.”
The complete segment can be viewed below.
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