Houston Rockets: Is Gerald Green Valid in Feeling He’s Been Slept On?

Does Rockets’ guard Gerald Green have a valid case to be made about feeling like he’s been slept on? Let’s take a look and see.

Gerald Green recently stated that he feels he has been slept on, which is understandable given that he was out of work not too long ago until the Rockets came calling two seasons ago. There weren’t any other teams who wanted Green’s services in either of the last two off-seasons so you can see why he would feel that way. But is Green right about being slept on?

In the last 2 seasons of Green being on the Rockets, he’s averaged 19.3 and 16.5 points per 36 minutes. Sure he’s not the most efficient from the field, as he’s shot about 40% in consecutive years, but this is also skewed considering where the bulk of his shots have come from. During the 2018 season, 298 of his 413 field goal attempts came from beyond the arc, which was 72% of his shots. During this past season, 441 of Green’s 578 shots came from distance, which was actually 76% of his field goal attempts.

Immediately upon being signed, the Rockets gave Green the green light (no pun intended) to shoot the trey. Green had the fewest minutes played out of anyone with more than 90+ three pointers made in the league. Green shot 36.9% from deep that season, which was better than Danny Green, Damian Lillard, James Harden and LeBron James, which is quite a list.

Green had a similar story during his second season, as he had the fewest minutes played out of anyone with over 140 three pointers made and shot 35.4% from deep. During that season, Green had a better three point shooting clip than All-Stars Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Kyle Lowry, which is also not bad for a reserve shooter.

Granted Green doesn’t do much else for the Rockets, but that’s essentially all the Rockets ask him to do. He’s not known for his defense so if he’s on the floor, he’s only out there to fire away from deep. Because of said defensive gaps, Green has struggled to find minutes in the post-season, especially against the Warriors. But again, you’re mistaken if you think Green is on the floor for stellar defensive play.

For the role Green is asked to play on the Rockets, he’s great. He’s a guy playing 20-23 minutes per night on the veteran’s minimum of $2.4 million and out-shooting guys known to be snipers in back-to-back seasons. In that regard, he is slept on.