Jalen Green is off to a good start despite the Rockets’ offensive struggles

The Houston Rockets have had a rollercoaster start to the season so far, blowing a huge lead to the Charlotte Hornets in the opener, storming past the Memphis Grizzlies and then splitting games with the San Antonio Spurs. But there has been one constant through these four games for Houston: the outstanding play of Jalen Green.

Now in year four, Green looks like he’s coming into full form and making the all-star level jump the Rockets have been waiting for the past few seasons. Fortunately for them, his improvement couldn’t have come at a better time, as Houston is still finding its feet offensively.

The star guard is averaging 28.8 points while shooting an absurd 41.3% from the three-point line on 11.5 attempts per game.

Despite his red-hot start, the Rockets are 2-2 on the season. When Green isn’t on the floor or he isn’t the focus of any given possession, they have struggled mightily in attack.

That was not the case last season, as star center Alperen Şengün flourished in a system in which everything revolved around him. While much of Houston’s game still comes from the young big man, he hasn’t had as much of an impact as previous seasons. In fact, he was even benched late in Saturday’s game against San Antonio due to his poor play.

Granted, a lot of that has to do with going up against one of the best defensive players in the league in Spurs center Victor Wembenyama. But we’ve seen Şengün find success when going up against the year two big man, dropping a whopping 45 points against him last season.

In addition to Şengün’s issues, veteran guard Fred VanVleet has also had a disappointing start to the season. His efficiency has dropped significantly from last season, with him only scoring around 34% in four matches, with around the same number of attempts per match as thirteen.

The decline doesn’t stop there for the Rockets, as aside from Green, every starter from last season, including forwards Jabari Smith Jr. and Dillion Brooks, seen a dip in scoring and efficiency.

If a player makes a significant leap in the game and takes more shots per game, as Green has done, you would normally expect the overall efficiency of the team to also increase, while other players take fewer attempts. However, that wasn’t the case for Houston early in the season, resulting in the .500 record in four games.

If there’s one major positive to take away from the Rockets’ up-and-down start, it’s that Green is and can remain the team’s number one, and someone you can count on when it matters most matters.

Houston will try to find its feet on Thursday as it travels to Dallas to take on superstar guard Luka Dončić and the Mavericks.

Would you like to join the discussion? Like Missiles on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest Rockets news. That’s also possible meet the team behind the cover.