Rockets must be ready to make bold Jalen Green decision in Game 2

The Houston Rockets are done rebuilding. This is officially a playoff team.

Some fans will look back on the rebuilding years and cringe. It was certainly rough at times. Still, the young Rockets will retain a place in the hearts of some fans. They feel attached to the group that struggled with them.

That’s particularly true for Jalen Green.

This all started when the Rockets selected Green with the second overall pick in the 2021 draft. The Rockets were thrilled to add a potentially electrifying scorer to their squad. The hope was that Green would be their cornerstone player.. Flash forward to 2025, and they still don’t know what they have in him.

At times, he resembles the player they’d pictured. Other times, he looks far from the mark. In Game One against the Warriors, it was the latter case. Green finished with 8 points on 3/15 shooting from the field.

If that trend continues, the Rockets could be forced to make a difficult decision.

Rockets must consider benching Green if he struggles

The Rockets shouldn’t overreact to Game One. That said, if the situation looks bleak midway through Game Two, it may be time to consider drastic measures:

Lose 4 games, and you’re sent packing.

So, the notion of moving Green to the bench shouldn’t seem as shortsighted as it may appear. If the Rockets need to make drastic changes, that’s what they should do. A low usage guard who will hit open threes may be more helpful if Alperen Sengun is going to carry the offense. Aaron Holiday may be more equipped for that role.

Benching Green for Holiday won't sit well with some Rockets fans. It's just one solution. Ime Udoka could slide Dillon Brooks to the 2 for a wing-heavy lineup. The broader point is that benching Green wouldn’t necessarily be crazy:

But it’s not something the Rockets should take lightly

Rockets must give Green another chance

If anything, they should be more aggressive about getting Green involved.

He should be attacking Steph Curry relentlessly. Curry is a questionable defender - if Green can’t take advantage of him, it’s clearly not his night.

If he can, the Rockets will reap the rewards.

Benching him does not mean taking him out of the series. It would more likely mean deploying him as a sparkplug off the bench. That will still be a difficult pill for some Rockets fans to swallow, but Ime Udoka will be singularly focused on winning this series. There’s no time for developmental reps:

The Rockets aren’t rebuilding anymore