Green’s resilient mindset
Rookie’s work ethic, mental toughness are as formidable as his talent
The Rockets knew all about Jalen Green’s talents. It did not take the exhaustive evaluations before the draft to see that. A glance, as has been clear in the first two preseason games, would have been enough.
The first 10 days of his first preseason revealed more, with Green displaying qualities that could allow him to make the most of those talents. But what the Rockets got to see was not how Green might excel as much as how he would react to the struggles when he doesn’t.
It took a misfiring debut, when Green missed all six of his 3-point attempts, for the Rockets to see that he would respond by working overtime, and he would return with no loss of confidence.
“He’s a talented kid, and he’s been working,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “One thing about Jalen, he’s a worker, before practice, after practice, at night, getting extra shots up.
“So, I’m not worried about his shooting because he is like guys I’ve coached in the past who are super dedicated to their craft and work and work and work to get better. I’m sure we’ll see that in many aspects of his game, not just shooting.”
Silas did not indulge in name dropping, but he has a long history of working with future stars, including LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic.
He resisted any invitation to put Green in that club before he has reached his 20th birthday, or even played a single regular-season NBA game. But first impressions have been about the work ethic and mindset as much as the more obvious physical tools.
“Every day it’s something new (to learn),” Silas said. “It’s some move that he makes that is kind of recall from a situation he saw the day before, he saw on film. Little things like that are big for a coach.
“It’s not necessarily the dunks, the spectacular step backs and things like that. It’s the quick learning and taking coaching and applying it right away, all of those things, and he’s doing that for us. You know you have something when you have the talent and the athleticism but also someone who can take coaching and apply it right away.”
This could be especially significant in a rookie season when the Rockets are willing to go through pains if they come with growth. That also made Green’s attitude about a tough shooting night in his first NBA game potentially significant.
It was just one preseason game, not a long, tough road trip. His confidence could be expected to be stronger than to be shaken that quickly. But his comments about bouncing back could also be considered a good sign.
“You miss a shot; you can’t sit there and pout about it,” Green said. “You got to get to the next play, get the ball back on defense. You still got a whole game in front of it. If I miss a shot in the first quarter, I’m not going to put my head down and dwell on it the whole game.
“I still had the same mindset. It’s just confidence. I still just tried to stay aggressive, still tried to get to the basket and made plays.”
He was also reminded to keep shooting, especially from backcourt mate Kevin Porter Jr., though it did not seem necessary.
“He told me the other night to keep shooting,” Green said. “’If you don’t shoot it, we’re going to get mad at you.’”
The first preseason games seemed to indicate what Green will be up against after the Wizards’ Bradley Beal and especially the Heat’s Jimmy Butler looked to bully him defensively. At 186 pounds on a 6foot-6 frame, Green can expect opponents to test him, especially when game plans are designed in the regular season to stop him.
“I think it’s just going to take time,” Green said. “I’m 19. I’m playing against these grown men. They’re going to try to do that all game. Brad Beal tried it. Jimmy Butler tried it. That’s fine. They got something to use on me right now. I’m only going to get older, stronger, smarter. That’s how it’s going to come.”
In some situations, Green’s open-court speed and first-step quickness negated some of that. He put up 15 shots, hitting six, in his 28 minutes, scoring 20 points without seeming to force things. The Rockets will need him to grow into more efficient than that. But with just two preseason games, they have gotten a glimpse of the resolve it will take.
“It’s really nothing different In the G League, I had to learn from mistakes, playing a bad game,” Green aid. “It’s the same thing — the next game, the next shot mentality.”
For the Rockets, that “mentality” and the work ethic to go with it have been welcome, if not a revelation. They could prove as essential as the more obvious talents.