After being taken at No. 2 overall in the 2021 NBA draft, Rockets guard Jalen Green had a number of ups and downs in his pressure-packed rookie campaign. He finished the season with a historic scoring binge and a spot on the All-Rookie First Team, but there were lowlights, too.
Thus, Green has some useful perspective for Houston’s newest top rookie, Jabari Smith Jr., who was picked at No. 3 in the 2022 first round.
Early in the league’s 2022 summer league in Las Vegas, Smith has shown tremendous upside as a defender, but his shooting — projected as a primary strength in pre-draft scouting reports — has yet to come around. During Saturday’s ESPN broadcast, Green was asked about potential advice for Smith, and he offered these candid remarks:
