Rockets, Jeff Green confident in his rotation fit in Houston

Though he’s still on a 10-day contract, the Rockets continue to signal confidence that Jeff Green will stick around and play a key role.

Jeff Green remains on a 10-day contract, but it would be impossible to know that from the way the Houston Rockets talk about him.

In three outings as Houston’s backup center behind P.J. Tucker, Green is averaging 9.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game, and he’s shooting 83.3% from the field and 71.4% on 3-pointers.

The Rockets (37-20) have won each of those games by double digits.

Speaking Monday prior to Green’s home debut at Toyota Center, head coach Mike D’Antoni said this about the 6-foot-8 NBA veteran:

I think Jeff is going to be real good. The length, the athleticism, he knows how to play. He’s going to fill a nice role.

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By comparison, D’Antoni wasn’t quite as optimistic with regards to potential playing time for fellow newcomer DeMarre Carroll — even though Carroll is on a standard contract, and Green only a 10-day deal.

D’Antoni said:

We’ll see how DeMarre will progress. We have a lot of guys. That makes it real tough. When everybody is healthy … it’s hard to play everybody. Like in Utah, DeMarre didn’t play.

A few minutes later, Green was asked in the home locker room whether talks were in progress about extending his 10-day deal. He replied:

My mind frame right now is just worrying about tonight. I’m a live-in-the-moment type of guy. The rest will take care of itself.

Based on his strong play, the decision to retain Green has become a virtual no-brainer for GM Daryl Morey and the Rockets. In turn, that may further reduce any uncertainty from Green about his future.

Though the 13-year NBA veteran has spent most of his career as a forward, Green indicated Monday that he has no concerns about his new role as a center for D’Antoni and the smaller Rockets. His outlook:

It’s not a challenge. It’s just basketball. It’s something I’ve done most of my career. I’ve done it from my rookie year to now, playing multiple positions. At the end of the day, it’s about playing with confidence, playing with heart.

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Green will be eligible to play in Wednesday’s home game versus Memphis under his current 10-day contract. From there, the 33-year-old will either need to sign a second 10-day deal or a standard rest-of-season contract to play in games beyond that, starting Saturday in Boston.

Considering Green’s contributions thus far, an agreement with the Rockets later this week on a new contract feels inevitable.

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