Ex-Rockets Guard Jalen Green Cited as NBA's Most Overrated Shooting Guard

Jalen Green made his way onto the Houston Rockets at the onset of their rebuild, becoming the second overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft. Green was drafted ahead of future All-Stars Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley. 

Green’s archetype is what the Rockets were after -- a player capable of being a bucket-getter on a nightly basis. The franchise had just traded away James Harden, arguably the best pure scorer in Rockets history.

It's understandable why they would've fell in love with Green.

Green lit it up with the G-League Ignite -- averaging 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 46.1 percent from the floor, 36.5 percent from long-range, 82.9 percent from the foul line, and 61.3 percent true shooting. Looking back, Green probably doesn't get enough credit for that, considering what we now know about the Ignite.

(There's a reason they aren't around anymore).

Green exhibited himself as a high volume scorer, ranking well below average on the efficiency scale at the NBA level. In fact, Green never came close to 60 percent true shooting. He also averages 42.2 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from three -- both of which are also below average.

But on the eye test scale, his talent is undeniable. He's proven capable of taking over games as a scorer all by himself. 

On the flip side, he's also still very raw, making it possible to take him completely out of games. For this reason, Green landed on the list of the league's most overrated shooting guards, ranking first, according to Fadeaway World's Eddie Bitar. 

"Jalen Green's athleticism and highlight plays make him easy to hype, but his inconsistency and questionable shot selection continue to hold him back. Even with more experience, he hasn’t developed the all-around game needed to justify his “future star” label. That is why they traded him for a nearly 37-year-old Kevin Durant this offseason, after all."

Let's be frank here.

If a team has an opportunity to land Kevin Durant, they're likely going to do it. Especially if they aren't even giving up a proven star-level player.

But truthfully, a number of teams would even do that, because there aren't many players better than Durant in the history of the NBA.

That isn't really a knock against Green.

He did, however, underperform against the Golden State Warriors in the postseason, admitting that the lights were initially too bright. Even in that series, Green flashed superstar potential, scoring 38 points in Game 2 on 13-of-25 shooting.

Not bad, considering Golden State's deliberate attempt to take him out of the game.

Sometimes a change of scenery is needed. Green will have a chance to rewrite his own story in Phoenix.