With the Houston Rockets battling for their playoff lives late in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors on Monday, star Jalen Green was watching from the bench.
The team’s starting shooting guard scored just eight points on 3-of-8 shooting, commiting five turnovers before being benched late in the fourth quarter.
With the Rockets clinging to a 98-97 lead with just under five minutes left, the Rockets brought in Dillon Brooks and put Green on the bench the rest of the game. The Rockets had a chance to take the lead late but came up short on an Alperen Sengun shot in the lane, with the Warriors going on to win 109-106.
Though Green exploded for 38 points in a Game 2 win over the Warriors, he failed to crack double digits in the other three games of the NBA playoff series. After Monday’s loss, many fans called on the Rockets to cut ties with Green in the offseason and find a more consistent player to take his place.
Jalen Green over his last 7 games:
8 PTS – 3 REB – 1 AST
9 PTS – 6 REB – 5 AST
38 PTS – 6 AST – 8 3PM
7 PTS – 8 REB – 2 AST
2 PTS – 2 REB – 2 AST
7 PTS – 4 REB – 3 AST
5 PTS – 0 REB – 3 AST(Via @realapp_ ) pic.twitter.com/VrpvJgL74U
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 29, 2025
“Houston can’t even care about the value they get for Jalen Green in return,” one fan shared in a post on X. “The value itself is flat out just removing him from both your roster and your books”
“If you’re serious about winning, Jalen Green can’t be on the team next year,” another added. “2nd pick getting benched. Josh Giddey last year all over again”
Others found Green’s inconsistency frustrating, noting that the Rockets don’t know what they will be getting out of him from game to game.
“I just don’t really understand how your mentality just shifts so [expletive] bad from game to game,” a fan shared on X. “ive been a fan and tried to defend it but you can’t excuse this.”
Green and the Rockets now face a monumental task, falling into a 3-1 hole against a playoff-tested Warriors team. The teams meet in Houston for Game 5 on Wednesday.
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