Jalen Green Shot a Career Best in this Offensive Category

The Houston Rockets have had an up-and-down last five seasons. The Rockets started the 2020s like every other team dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic. After the NBA resumed play following the league-wide shutdown, the Rockets entered the bubble hoping to finally break through, but ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round.

That second round was the beginning of the end for James Harden and the Rockets. The following offseason saw Russell Westbrook and Daryl Morey both leave the Rockets, and Harden would follow suit a few months later. The Rockets would trade their franchise player to the Brooklyn Nets, leaning heavily into a complete rebuild.

The first player the Rockets brought in post-Harden was Jalen Green. Green was taken second overall as the heir apparent to Harden. The Rockets' rebuild lasted three seasons and saw a lot more losses than wins during that time. Green, despite public outcry at times, has improved each season, but perhaps not at the rate some people had hoped for during his first four seasons.

One area Green improved on when it came to his offensive production was his 3-point shooting. Green has struggled at times with his outside shooting, as his best shooting season from downtown was his rookie season, when he shot 34.8%.

However, this season saw Green improve on that mark by shooting a career-best 35.4% from beyond the arc on a career-high 8.1 attempts per game. It aligns with his improved shooting from the free-throw line as well, which saw Green shoot a career-high 81.3 percent from the charity stripe.

One of the main reasons for Green's improved outside shooting was his improvement in catch-and-shoot opportunities. The Houston Rockets are not known for having a lot of off-ball movement or setting screens to get shooters open. The Rockets ranked in the bottom ten in catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts this season.

Especially when it came to Green, who, for the most part, relies on pick and roll sets and beating his defender in a one-on-one situation. Up until this season, Green's best catch-and-shoot season was his rookie season, where he shot 35.2%.

Green took it to another level this season, shooting a career-high 40.9% on catch-and-shoot shots, which played a significant role in his career high from 3-point range. That tied Dillon Brooks for first on the team this season. Green did a better job of moving without the ball this season, and his teammates did a better job of getting him the basketball at the correct times.

Getting Jalen Green on the move and not forcing him to constantly beat his man off the dribble will go a long way to Green taking that next step on the offensive end. If Green can continue to improve in that area, it could change the trajectory of his career.