HOUSTON — On Monday, Rockets guard Jalen Green sat on the bench for the entire fourth quarter as he watched his teammates rally from a moderate deficit and nearly win at Golden State.
Green was not nursing an injury. The third-year player was benched due to inefficiency and a lack of consistency on both ends of the court, according to Rockets head coach Ime Udoka.
On the flight back, Udoka sat down with Green to show him film on where he could be more effective and aggressive on offense, which is something Green struggled with on the three-game road trip. What Udoka wanted was for Green to stop passing up shots that defenders gave him after slipping a screen set by his teammates and going underneath to deny Green’s ability to get to the rim.
Green, 21, took advantage of the one-on-one time with his head coach, soaked in the knowledge he was given, and turned that into a season-high 34-point performance versus Memphis on Wednesday night. The 111-91 blowout win ended Houston’s three-game skid.
Green scored 26 points in the second half, including 13 points in the fourth quarter. This time, Green was benched for the final four minutes of the game for an effective and efficient performance, as Udoka cleared the bench to allow his reserves to close the game.
“Our energy was low, and I just thought he could pick his energy up a little,” said VanVleet about the in-game conversation with Jalen Green. “He did that and some and carried us to the win tonight.” pic.twitter.com/u5fytqiiSV
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) November 23, 2023
“I just have to be patient,” Green said postgame about the meeting with Udoka. “Sometimes, I’ll be out there playing too fast and passing up a lot of shots. He was basically telling me I need to be more aggressive, and at the same time, be patient.”
Green came out in the first half using the advice from his head coach, but it wasn’t translating into made shots yet. At halftime, he was shooting just 3-for-10 from the field (30%) while missing all five of his attempts from 3-point range.
Before he began to sink back into the sluggish tendencies he had on the road trip, veteran guard Fred VanVleet pulled him to the side and had a small conversation that helped change the trajectory of Green’s game and opened the offense for the rest of the team.
“Our energy was low, and I just thought he could pick his energy up a little,” VanVleet said about the in-game conversation. “He did that and then some, and carried us to the win tonight.”
Jalen Green on having a veteran presence to lean on:
“The last two years, it would’ve just been that. Nobody would’ve said nothing, and we would’ve just kept playing through that bad energy. So, the changeup this year is good, having vets to talk to us and build us up.” pic.twitter.com/GNGxKAfLL4— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) November 23, 2023
It was a message Green heard, loud and clear.
“It was super valuable,” Green said.
“They are looking at it from a different standpoint,” he said. “They are not going to hold back. They obviously want to win the game just as bad as I do, and want me to be as good as I can be. The last two years, it would’ve just been that. Nobody would’ve said nothing, and we would’ve just kept playing through that bad energy. So, the changeup this year is good, having vets to talk to us and build us up.”
