MANILA, Philippines, October 22 ------ After an impressive rookie season in the NBA, Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green is setting the standards high for both himself and the team this 2022-23 season.
When asked about his main goals for the upcoming season, the Filipino-American shooting guard straightforwardly answered in just two words to jumpstart the conversation: "All-Star." "That’s one of my goals this year, for sure. For sure, I put in a lot of work this year. I’m just gonna trust my work, go out there and battle with the best," the 20-year-old told Philippine media representatives during a conference call organized by NBA 2K.
The 6-foot-5 Green is coming off a memorable first year in the league, averaging 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, and shooting 34.3 percent from 3-point territory in 67 games, all starts. He capped the 2021-22 season being named part of the NBA All-Rookie First Team, along with Detroit's Cade Cunningham, Cleveland's Evan Mobley, Orlando Magic's Franz Wagner, and Rookie of the Year winner Scottie Barnes of Toronto.
To make the big leap in his sophomore year, Green said that he is allotting a considerable amount of time working on his skill set and taking care of his body. "I just stay in the gym. That’s my happy place, to get away from everything. I really just focus on myself and perfect my craft. I’m in love with this game, this game is something I want to do for another 14, 15 years so I just escape by going to the gym and working to be better for myself," he added. "I’ve been working on everything. You can’t just work on one thing. You kind of have to work on your whole game."
Although highly motivated to be recognized as one of the best players in the league this early, Green also stressed the importance of turning the Rockets into a winning team first and building a culture. "I’m not really pressed about it too much. I mean, I need wins to get an All-Star (appearance)," he said. "But the first goal on the list is to get more wins and just to be better as a team overall."
Houston finished dead last in the competitive Western Conference last season, mustering only 20 wins against 62 losses. This season, the Rockets' budding star is optimistic about his team's outlook, mentioning the hunger and determination of his teammates to succeed and improve on their record. "Everyone already knows that we are a super young team. We’re not really expected to win a lot of games. It’s just not in our favor. But we got a lot of young talent, and a lot of guys who want to win on my team right now," the 2021 No. 2 overall pick shared. "I feel like we’ve all bought in so it’s going to be different this year (in terms of) how we can play and how we can win games."
Green will not be alone in his quest to turn the Rockets' fortunes around. Recently, Kevin Porter Jr. and the Rockets agreed to a four-year, $82.5-million extension, a milestone the 22-year-old guard described as the "biggest day" of his life. Porter averaged 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 61 appearances with the Rockets last season, redeeming himself from past incidents he's had early on in his NBA career, including a locker room incident with his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and an arrest due to improper handling of a firearm.
With Porter back, Green sees beaming potential in their team-up in the backcourt, going as far as saying they can match the best guard combos across the league. "That’s my brother. We have great chemistry on and off the court. I am excited to continue playing with him. He’s here to stay, so I think we have a chance of being one of the best backcourts in the NBA. It is going to be an exciting year for us. I am happy for him. He deserved it," Green said.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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