Can Jalen Green surprise everyone in the second half?

Jalen Green, the number two overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, has not lived up to the hype that he received coming out of the G League, yet he still has a chance to prove all the doubters wrong.

At this point, it's safe to say that Green's chances of winning rookie of the year are slim to none, but the important thing for him is that he shows improvement in every area of his game. Hopefully, he can replicate what Anthony Edwards did in the second half of his rookie season from a year ago.

Edwards, the number overall pick in the 2020 draft was not as polished as one would think out of the gate. There were times, throughout his rookie season, when it was questioned if the Timberwolves had made a mistake drafting him first overall.

Through his first 36 games, he averaged 14.9 points per game on 37.1% shooting from the field and 30.2% from 3-point range.

After the 2021 All-Star break, Edwards came back averaging 23.8 points per game shooting 45.4% from the floor and 34.9% from the 3-point line while improving his all-around game. His second-half surge saw him land the rookie of the year award.

Green is currently averaging 14.6 points per game shooting 39 percent from the field and 31 percent from three. One of the reasons Rockets fans compare Green and Edwards is because the first half of their rookie seasons, their draft position, and skillsets are fairly similar.

The Rockets will be patient with the 20-year old rookie, but with only 24 games left to play, fans will tune in every game to see the development of the future all-star.