Houston Rockets Expected to Bring Back Gerald Green

The Houston Rockets are in a strange position, as they are capped out but still need to round out their roster. They are going to need to sign players on the veteran’s minimum and are expected to bring back Gerald Green. Although he certainly has his gaps, do they really have much of a choice?

Alas, NBA free agency is here! This is the time of the year NBA fans can’t wait for. This is especially the time of the year Houston Rockets fans can’t wait for, as General Manager Daryl Morey is known to be a marksman and will certainly be big game hunting.

But what about the role players which will round out the roster? According to Alykhan Bijani of the Athletic, the Rockets are reportedly expected to bring back Gerald Green for another season.

Depending on what you think of Green and what the Rockets need from him, you may or may not be all that enthused. But Mike D’Antoni has never been one to go deep into his bench rotation, as during the regular season Gerald Green only averaged 20 minutes per game, en route to 7.9 points per game. This was less than the 10 points per game he averaged in his first season with Houston, although his shooting was nearly identical as his first season. He shot 40% from the field compared to the 40.7% in the previous season and 35.4% from distance this past season compared to the 36.9% the previous year.

The area where Green has especially struggled for the Rockets has been in the post-season. Due to Green’s gaps defensively, he oftentimes falls out of the rotation, as he only averaged 8.8 minutes per game in the playoffs. His three point shooting also dipped slightly, as he shot 34.5% from distance in these past playoffs. Granted, Green has certainly never been accused of being an efficient scorer, as he shoots fairly average, however he’s been a part of the Rockets for two deep playoff runs and has team chemistry.

Although he is a streaky, inconsistent shooter, the Rockets are capped out and will likely need to sign players on the minimum, which Green played on last season and will likely be signed to again.