They may want the same jersey number, but that doesn’t mean that No. 2 overall draft pick Jalen Green and veteran forward Danuel House Jr. can’t play well together for the Houston Rockets.
In intrasquad scrimmages ahead of the official Sept. 28 opening of training camp, The Athletic’s Kelly Iko reports that a scrimmage team of Green, House, rookie big man Alperen Sengun, and second-year forward Anthony Lamb is faring extremely well against other groups.
The Rockets have been hosting intra-roster scrimmages for the past few weeks, and sources say the Green-House-Sengun-Lamb team has been dominating. Green and House have played well off each other, which bodes well for the weeks ahead.
Though he’s primarily a forward for the Rockets, House does have plenty of skills as a passer and playmaker. That may fit well with Green, who flourished in off-ball roles at the NBA’s 2021 summer league. House is also a strong and versatile defender, which could help mask Green’s understandable shortcomings on that end as a 19 year-old rookie.
As for jerseys, House wants the No. 4, and it’s his right to keep it as the veteran. Fortunately, it appears that the jersey storyline isn’t going to affect anything substantive that happens between them on the court.
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Sorting out a rebuilding team’s rotation can be a fun and challenging exercise.
With #Rockets training camp about a week away, what should their depth chart 1.0 look like?
New for @TheAthleticNBA: https://t.co/RlPDjTVG1j
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) September 21, 2021
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