For the first time in nearly a month, prized rookie Jalen Green returns to game action when Houston visits Indiana on Thursday night. It’s the fourth game of a five-game road trip for the Rockets, who are on night two of a back-to-back after playing at Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Green, who strained his left hamstring on Nov. 24, has averaged 14.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 30.8 minutes per game. The 6-foot-4 guard was taken at No. 2 overall in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft, and the 19-year-old’s development is perhaps the most critical priority for the rebuilding Rockets (10-21) during the 2021-22 season.
Assuming Green returns Thursday as a starter, which head coach Stephen Silas has indicated is the plan, he could be matched up against veteran wing Caris LeVert of the Pacers — who the Rockets passed on acquiring as part of the blockbuster James Harden trade last season.
Neither team enters with a lot of momentum. Indiana is 4-7 in its last 11 games, while Houston is 2-6 in its last eight matchups.
