The Houston Rockets found their star, and if you could go back in time to 2021 and tell fans that Jalen Green is not a centerpiece of Houston's rebuild, east Texas would call you crazy.
The Rockets are building around fringe All-Star Alperen Sengun, and Green has become the odd man out as his volume scoring-often marred by inefficiency-has been placed on the back burner as Sengun thrives alongside Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet. Going all-in before Sengun hits his peak and making a playoff run as soon as this season is not out of the question.
This season, Green has been shooting less, scoring less, and shooting less efficiently than he did last year. Sengun, on the other hand, is one of the most promising young players in the league. Sengun has drawn comparisons to two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, as they each play a brand of basketball that can only be described as "point-center." They distribute, can spread the floor, and can create for themselves.
Needless to say, a ball-dominant guard like Green doesn't fit well next to Sengun, and with the Turkish big man clearly the better player, it's an easy choice to decide who to build around.
The Rockets reportedly offered Green in trade talks with the Brooklyn Nets for defensive-minded wing Mikal Bridges, per Yahoo! Sports. Bridges is one of the most sought-after players in the league, with rumblings that Brooklyn rejected packages of five first-round picks.
Bridges is an All-Defensive player who can score 20 points per game on 38 percent shooting from three, so he can be slotted into any lineup. A starting five of Brooks, Sengun, Bridges, VanVleet, and Jabari Smith Jr. would be one of the best on both ends of the floor, and a bench unit of Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, and Jeff Green would make things even worse for opponents. Where does Green fit? Apparently on a different team.
Green is not a bad player. He is a volume scorer who can play well on-ball, but he is prone to streaks. Donovan Mitchell, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden come to mind, but for Green to develop into that level of player, he will need to have his own team. In Houston, he only had that chance as a rookie before more young talent was added.
For a team looking to start over, Green is an excellent option, but most teams don't want to admit that they are staring a rebuild in the face. Brooklyn has the potential to be the best eight-seed since...last year's Miami Heat, who made the NBA Finals. With Bridges locking it down and making his shots, it's no wonder that Brooklyn wanted to stay on course.
More must-reads: