Houston Rockets: 3 options for pick No. 2 after NBA Draft Lottery

Houston Rockets NBA Draft star potential #1: Jalen Green

The 2021 NBA playoffs have reminded us that to be a true-blue superstar you have to be elite at putting the ball in the bucket. The NBA is an offense-first league and players that can go get their own bucket are still the soup du jour and no prospect has the ability to get their own shot better than Jalen Green.

Green combines elite athleticism, lateral agility, and burst with a devastating handle to carve up defenses. His jump shot, while still streaky, projects to be elite based upon his free throw shooting and the touch that he shows shots.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that Green averaged 17.9 points per game on 36.5-percent 3-point shooting and 52.9-percent 2-point shooting in the G-League as an 18-year-old. Green, against professionals, shooting from an NBA 3-point line, and at the age of a college freshman was a lethal offensive weapon.

To put it bluntly, Green is the best bet of any prospect from this draft to win a scoring title, and if there is one thing that makes a player a star, it’s scoring. From day one Green will provide highlights and bushels of points for whoever drafts him.

Now, Green isn’t a perfect prospect, his defense will take time and likely won’t ever be elite and his playmaking is still in its infancy. In today’s NBA, to be an elite offensive player it’s not good enough to simply be a go-to scorer.

Green won’t have to be the next coming of John Stockton as a passer to be an elite offensive player but he’ll need to improve his passing to justify having the ball in his hands constantly. While most draft boards have Green as the fourth-best prospect, his chances at being a bonafide star are probably second only to Cade Cunningham.

The Rockets might not view Green as the second-best player in this draft but he has everything needed to be a star. Rafael Stone says the Rockets are shooting for a star, their best bet might just be Jalen Green.