As Houston Rockets players stood in line waiting for the pregame video to finish playing on the jumbotron at Toyota Center, one player stood out amongst the others, eagerly awaiting to hear his name called.
Once the house lights came on in the arena, the Rockets announcer wasted no time introducing the player most fans in attendance came to see. When the crowd heard the announcement, they erupted.
Rockets rookie Jalen Green leaped from his chair with a smile on his face as he ran through the high-five from his teammates. By the time the No. 2 overall pick from the 2021 NBA draft got to the end of the line, you could sense that he knew this was where he belonged.
Green, 19, played 27 minutes on Tuesday night in the preseason opener versus the Wizards. The 6-foot-6 guard finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists as Houston defeated Washington, 125-119.
Rockets head coach Stephen Silas offered his first impressions of his prized rookie’s performance in a postgame press conference.
He is so athletic getting to the rim. He didn’t shoot it great tonight, but that will come with being more comfortable on the floor. He looked comfortable tonight, but there are still areas on the floor he can get to, and reads that he can make, that he will get by experience.
Although he only shot 4-of-14 from the floor, Green used his quickness and explosive first step to get to the basket frequently versus Washington.
That impressed Green’s teammates with the Rockets, including backcourt running mate Kevin Porter Jr., who complemented his co-star for being aggressive when his shot wasn’t falling.
“His ability to create his own shot and finding other teammates when he does drive and kick the ball out is what we need,” said Porter, who led the way with 25 points and 5 assists. “I told him I wanted him to stay aggressive, and we need him to stay aggressive. That is his role.”
Green knows that his team will depend on him a lot this season to be effective on the court, and that is something he feels he will get better at as the season progresses.
“I felt I could have shot the ball a little better,” said Green during his postgame press conference. “It was my first game, so I have to get the feeling for things again, but yes, I think it was good.”
Houston plays its final preseason home game against the Miami Heat on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 9:00 p.m. Central at Toyota Center.
