Alright, hoop heads, buckle up!
Jalen Green’s Focus: Not About the Money… Yet
So, here’s the scoop: Jalen Green, the Rockets’ young gun, might hold off on signing that big contract extension until after the 2024-25 season. During his youth basketball camp in Houston, he told Jonathan Feigen from the Houston Chronicle that he’s all about the upcoming season right now, not the cash.
โFor sure,โ Green said when asked about a long-term deal with the Rockets. โMy main focus is the season ahead of me with the players that we have.โ
Playoffs or Bust: Green’s Game Plan
Greenโs got his eyes set on the playoffs. He said, โThe main focus is the season ahead of meโgetting to the playoffs. Everything is going to work itself out.โ
Check out this tweet from Chancellor Johnson:
Rockets guard, Jalen Green on a potential contract extension:
โThe main focus is the season ahead of meโ getting to the playoffs. Everything is going to work itself out.โ
โ Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV)
Green’s all about building team chemistry and pushing as far as they can in the playoffs. โWeโre building that team camaraderie, who we are. Thatโs the main focus right now, and everything will work itself out,โ he added.
Contract Talk: The Waiting Game
Green and his teammate Alperen Sengun, both just 22, are eligible for some serious extensions this summer. But guess what? Neither has inked a new deal yet. We’re talking about contracts that could be worth up to $224 million over five years. The deadline for these rookie-scale extensions is October 21.
According to Spotrac, Green is heading into the last season of his four-year, $40.8 million deal with Houston. His $12.48 million team option was picked up last October.
Rockets’ Strategy: Keep the Young Guns
If Green and Sengun don’t sign extensions, they’ll become restricted free agents after the 2024-25 season. The Rockets can match any offer sheet with qualifying offers, so they’re not sweating it too much.
Green is pumped for the season. โWe were really just out there playing, getting that team chemistry,โ he said. โThatโs the biggest thing right now, working to get better โฆ all together as a team. We went out last season with a bang."
Last season, Green averaged 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 31.7 minutes per game. He shot 42.3% from the floor, 33.2% from three, and a career-best 80.4% from the line. Not bad, right?
Rockets’ Rollercoaster Season
The Rockets had a wild ride last season. They started 27-35 through 62 games but then went on an 11-game winning streak. They finished with a 41-41 record, a 19-game improvement from the previous season.
But still, they ended up 12th in the Western Conference, five games behind the Warriors for the final play-in spot. This season, they’re aiming to take it to the next level.
In my opinion, if the Rockets can keep this core together and build on their chemistry, they could surprise a lot of people. What do you think? Can Houston make a serious playoff push this year?
