3 Studs, 1 dud from Rockets' win over Grizzlies

The Houston Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies are in similar places.

Each roster has a surplus of young players who are fixtures in their rotations. They're both playoff-bound teams who'd be a tad optimistic to dream of an NBA title. So when the Rockets and Grizzlies play each other, it's a significant game. Each squad is particularly motivated to beat the other.

In Thursday's contest, the Rockets looked a bit more motivated.

This was a tight contest. Neither team asserted dominance. Houston pulled out a 119-115 win:

Here are 3 studs and 1 dud on their end.

Stud: Alperen Sengun

Alperen Sengun nearly sold this game.

He missed some critical free throws with the game in the balance. His overall 7/15 mark from the charity stripe left much to be desired. A more critical person might also acknowledge that Sengun's defense has been trending downward, and this game was no exception.

That said, the Rockets don't win this game without 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists from the Turkish big man.

Sure, Sengun needs to plug those holes. His free throw percentage needs to climb, and his defense needs to consistently be at the level it was at earlier in the season. He remains the team's most consistently productive offensive player. Sengun had Grizzlies rookie Zach Edey in a blender all night, and the presence of perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Jaren Jackson Jr. didn't phase him either.

What a stud.

Stud: Jalen Green

Don't look now, but Green is turning the corner. Here's hoping he doesn't look back.

In this game, he had 27 points on 11/21 shooting from the field and 4/8 shooting from downtown. Green also added 3 steals, but the most significant aspect of this game for him was his offensive efficiency.

That's realistically all Ime Udoka needs from Green. Any production in any other area is icing on the cake. The Rockets need Green to score in bunches and hit an acceptable number of his shots.

In recent games, he's doing that more often than not. Green is beginning to look like a certified NBA star. We're approaching a point where the sample size is getting large enough to conclude that suddenly, this is who Green is.

Stud: Fred VanVleet

Many Rockets fans have turned on VanVleet during 2024-25. It's hard to blame them: VanVleet has been heavily featured in the dud portion of these pieces.

Last night, he was a stud by any measure. VanVleet had 22 points on 8/13 shooting from the field and 3/7 shooting from long-range in addition to 4 steals. That's great production, but it was VanVleet's process that should have Rockets fans excited.

VanVleet is beginning to cede the ball to Green. It seems like the Rockets' younger guard has been miscast as an off-ball weapon. Green is at his best when he's driving - 8 threes is an acceptable number for him, but we've seen Green creep into the double digits too often this year.

When VanVleet lets Green operate with the ball, he does his best work.

Dud: Cam Whitmore

Cam Whitmore wants a larger role with the Rockets. If he's going to get one, he'll have to shoot better than 3/14 from the field.

That's what he did last night. The eye test was even worse. As soon as Whitmore got the ball, he hunted a shot. Passing was not an option.

It's a vicious cycle. Whitmore seemingly feels compelled to prove that he's the best scorer on the floor whenever he's out there. In doing so, he tanks his own value, and demotivates the Rockets' coaching staff from giving him time.

If he wants to establish himself, he needs to play a different brand. It's fine - even ideal - for Whitmore to be an aggressive scorer, but not at the cost of team-friendly basketball. As long as he plays for himself, he shouldn't expect to play a major role for the Rockets.

Whitmore needs to get himself out of the dud sections.