<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rockets-news-jalen-green-honest-houston-take-thunder');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jalen Green issues honest Rockets take before Thunder game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jalen-Green-issues-honest-Houston-take-before-Thunder-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Jalen Green issues honest Rockets take before Thunder game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-13T17:34:24-08:00">December 13th, 5:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-13T17:34:24-08:00">December 13th, 5:34pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2024-25 NBA season so far, jumping out to a 17-8 record which is tied for the second best mark in the Western Conference. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-alperen-sengun-drops-eye-opening-claim-about-nba-cup-win-vs-warriors">Rockets have also been very impressive in NBA Cup play</a> and will play in Saturday’s semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.</p><p>The Rockets picked up a very impressive, but controversial, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-ruthlessly-blasts-officials-after-controversial-nba-cup-loss-vs-rockets">win over the Golden State Warriors</a> on Wednesday night in the quarterfinals to earn a trip to Las Vegas over the weekend. The semifinal matchup against the Thunder will pit the two best teams in the Western Conference so far this season against each other.</p><p>Before the Rockets and Thunder face off, Rockets guard Jalen Green spoke about what makes this Houston team special and different from some of the less successful ones that he has played on <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1867718950760665578" rel="noopener">during his young career</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"It's more so family not a group… The way we communicate on the court is very different from when I was first here."</p><p>Jalen Green on the Rockets' growth since he was drafted  🙌</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>)<a href="https://t.co/yTaJxhCs6m">pic.twitter.com/yTaJxhCs6m</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1867718950760665578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I would say how we all interact with each other,” Green said. “It’s more so a family, not a group. The way we handle losses, the way we handle wins, the way we communicate on the court is very different from when I was first here. Not discrediting those people, but it’s a different level of winning basketball.”</p><p>Green has struggled with consistency this season, but he still leads the Rockets in scoring at 19.2 points per game.</p><h2><b>Rockets have the team to take down Thunder in NBA Cup</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rockets-celebration.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Thunder enter the final four at the NBA Cup as pretty heavy favorites to take home the trophy, and they have backed up that notion time and time again this season. Even after Chet Holmgren went down with a serious hip injury, Oklahoma City has been nearly unstoppable.</p><p>They were boosted even more when backup center Isaiah Hartenstein returned from injury to give the Thunder at least one quality big man while Holmgren is out. They answered the bell in Tuesday night’s NBA Cup quarterfinal against the Dallas Mavericks, handily defeating Luka Doncic and company 118-104.</p><p>Despite all of that, the underdog <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-addresses-previous-shortcomings-rockets">Rockets have the type of team that can bother the Thunder</a> and maybe pick up a big upset on Saturday night. The Rockets have one of the best defenses in the league and can match the Thunder with a number of big, long bodies out on the wing. Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and others are all problems defensively and they give the Rockets multiple bodies to throw at Shai Gelgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-stephen-curry-blame-glaring-issue-nba-cup-loss-rockets">Just ask the Warriors about the Rockets’ defense</a> after Houston held Golden state to just 90 points and forced them into one of the most physical, difficult games of the season on the offensive end. Oklahoma City has more pop than the Warriors offensively and can put the ball in the basket in a variety of different ways, but the Rockets have the bodies to slow them down. If they can, Houston could find itself in the NBA Cup Championship Game on Tuesday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jalen Green issues honest Rockets take before Thunder game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rockets-news-dillon-brooks-savage-message-warriors-jalen-green-presser');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets veteran Dillon Brooks’ savage message to Warriors during Jalen Green presser');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rockets-news-Dillon-Brooks-savage-message-to-Warriors-overheard-during-Jalen-Green-presser.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets veteran Dillon Brooks’ savage message to Warriors during Jalen Green presser</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-12T08:09:05-08:00">December 12th, 8:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-12T08:55:54-08:00">December 12th, 8:55am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Whether intentional or not, Houston Rockets veteran Dillon Brooks crashed Jalen Green’s postgame interview after they beat the Golden State Warriors 91-90 in the NBA Cup’s quarter-finals. After eliminating the Warriors on Wednesday, head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-ime-udoka-expertly-breaks-down-key-reason-behind-warriors-stunner">Ime Udoka pointed to the Rockets’ relentlessness</a> as a catalyst to edging out Golden State. At the same time, Brooks was eager to send them home.</p><p>His voice <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1867212052886155372" rel="noopener">can be heard</a> in the background during Green’s postgame interview, per Locked on Rockets’s Jackson Gatlin.</p><p>“Send they a** back to Golden State,”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Send they a*s back to Golden State."</p><p>Dillon Brooks in the background while Jalen Green was speaking with the media following the Rockets' NBA Cup win over the Warriors 😅</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/JTGatlin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JTGatlin</a>)<br> <a href="https://t.co/Miaz4AqvQC">pic.twitter.com/Miaz4AqvQC</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1867212052886155372?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>After the Warriors’ Stephen Curry missed a three that would have given his team the lead, the Rockets regained possession on a loose ball foul toward the end of the fourth quarter, sealing the one-point win. After the victory, Udoka <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1867093539915698207" rel="noopener">said his team’s</a> never-give-up attitude made all the difference.</p><p>“We’re gonna continue to fight and not give up. Got stops when we needed to, hit big shots when we needed to. Got on the floor, loose balls, created that foul. Great job switching on the last possession to kind of bottle that up. But as I’ve said before, you can always rely on your defense when the shots aren’t falling,” Udoka said in his postgame presser via the official ClutchPoints account on X (formerly Twitter).</p><p>“A lot of good things. Eight 24-second [shot clock] violations. 30 points off their 22 turnovers. Only put them on the free-throw line nine times. That’s a recipe for success on the defensive end, for sure,” Udoka concluded.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“That’s a recipe for success on the defensive end.”</p><p>Ime Udoka holds the Rockets to high praise after securing a tough comeback win over the Warriors 🗣️</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>)<a href="https://t.co/OUYo1gzCti">pic.twitter.com/OUYo1gzCti</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1867093539915698207?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Alperen Sengun’s double-double (26 points, 11 rebounds) led the Rockets. Jabari Smith finished with 15 points, and Green added 12 points and three steals. Jonathan Kuminga’s 20 points and seven rebounds led the Warriors. Curry scored 19 points, and Buddy Hield finished with 15 points.</p><h2><b>Alperen Sengun’s shocking claim for Rockets’ win over Warriors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rockets-center-Alperen-Sengun.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Before Wednesday’s win, Houston Rockets center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-alperen-sengun-drops-eye-opening-claim-about-nba-cup-win-vs-warriors">Alperen Sengun had never seen his teammates so focused</a>. Perhaps that’s why Rockets veteran Dillon Brooks was so hyped up during Jalen Green’s presser. The one-point win proved how hungry they were against the Golden State Warriors, and they are now heading to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup’s semifinals.</p><p>Sengun <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1867086948801888650" rel="noopener">spoke to</a> TNT’s Stephanie Ready after the win.</p><p>“I’ve never seen my team this thirsty. We knew it was gonna be hard. They play aggressive. We play aggressive. I’m proud of my teammates, everyone,” Sengun said. “We worked hard. We came ready for this game so hard. So I’m happy [we won]. This is big time.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I've never seen my team this thirsty… We knew it was gonna be hard. They play aggressive. We play aggressive."</p><p>Alperen Sengun on the Rockets' tough win over the Warriors to qualify for the NBA Cup Semifinals 🗣️</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBAonTNT</a>)<a href="https://t.co/FqJk44nhXY">pic.twitter.com/FqJk44nhXY</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1867086948801888650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Rockets will face the Thunder in the semifinals on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets veteran Dillon Brooks’ savage message to Warriors during Jalen Green presser

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-rockets-jalen-green-dillon-brooks-hilarious-reactions-to-1st-game-at-intuit-dome');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks hilarious reactions to 1st game at Intuit Dome');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dillon-Brooks-Jalen-Green-Los-angeles-Clippers-Houston-Rockets-Intuit-Dome.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets’ Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks hilarious reactions to 1st game at Intuit Dome</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-09T20:49:25-08:00">December 9th, 8:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-09T20:49:43-08:00">December 9th, 8:49pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his off time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LOS ANGELES, CA — Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the Houston Rockets played their first game at the LA Clippers’ all <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-hilarious-reaction-first-game-clippers-intuit-dome">new Intuit Dome</a>, with many folks coming away impressed.</p><p>Despite the losing their third game of the season against the Rockets, the Clippers drew praise from their players postgame.</p><h2><b>Rockets guards Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks react to Clippers’ Intuit Dome</b></h2><p>The Rockets defeated the Clippers, 117-106, on Sunday night. Jalen Green led the way with 31 points and four rebounds on 9-of-20 shooting from the field with five three-pointers. Amen Thompson dropped 22 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in the spot start for the injured Fred Van Vleet. Dillon Brooks was an all-around force, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocked shots.</p><p>After the contest, the Rockets expressed admiration for the new Stadium.</p><p>“I think it’s fire,” Rockets guard <a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1866026138507808772">Jalen Green said</a> of the Clippers’ Intuit Dome. “It’s super futuristic. I was watching the, what’s it called, the intros. The intro for the Clippers. It was crazy, the whole wrap around of the [Halo board]. It was fire. It looked like a 2K game or something.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Asked Jalen Green about playing in the Clippers’ Intuit Dome for the first time:</p><p>“I think it’s fire. It’s super futuristic. I was watching the intro for the Clippers. It was crazy, the whole [Halo board] wrap around. It was fire. It looked like a 2K game or something.” <a href="https://t.co/7yIPGCYKf5">pic.twitter.com/7yIPGCYKf5</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1866026138507808772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I think it’s nice,” Amen Thompson added. “It’s crazy. I like the little Halo thing. It’s fire. I didn’t even notice the Wall. Guys we were 100 percent from free throws today with The Wall. Nah, I’m playing. I did notice it.”</p><p>Even the ever-serious Dillon Brooks <a href="http://So%20far%20this%20season,%20opponents%20are%20shooting%20just%2072.8%20percent%20from%20the%20free%20throw%20line%20against%20the%20LA%20Clippers%20inside%20Intuit%20Dome.%20That's%20the%20worst%20opponent's%20free%20throw%20percentage%20of%20any%20opponent%20in%20the%20NBA.">took time after the victory</a> to praise Steve Ballmer and the Clippers for the Intuit Dome.</p><p>“It’s amazing,” Brooks said. “The locker room is great. They’ve got a lot of stuff for like cold tub, recovery, the way it’s shaped, it looks great. It’s like the newest, state of the art. I feel like it’s a great place to play.”</p><p>Brooks even admitted he caught himself watching the Halo Board throughout out the game.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/The-Wall-during-the-Clippers-Rockets-game-at-Intuit-Dome.jpg"><figcaption>Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“Yeah, for sure. That’s a great idea to have everybody be able to see the Megatron or whatever it’s called, the Halo Board. It’s real good for the crowd, the fans, so shoutout to [Steve] Ballmer for figuring that out and being about the people.”</p><p>The Wall, however, is something Brooks said wasn’t anything new to him, although he did appreciate the effort.</p><p>“No, I’m used to that. In college, they’ve got that same thing in Arizona. It’s a great idea. I guess you’ve got to see the stats and see if they’ve got the lowest opponent free throw percentage and see if it actually works.”</p><p>We did look it up.</p><p>So far this season, opponents are shooting just 72.8 percent from the free throw line against the LA Clippers inside Intuit Dome. That’s the worst opponent’s free throw percentage of any opposing road team in the NBA. The next closest team are the opposing teams at the Houston Rockets’ Toyota Center, which shoot 74 percent from the free throw line.</p><p>It’s tough to say whether the Wall is directly impacting opposing team’s free throw shooting given teams switch sides at halftime. Still, it’s notable that teams are shooting their worst from the line when they visit the Intuit Dome and LA Clippers.</p><p>The Clippers have played 17 home games thus far, so there will be many more opportunities to see how real the Wall’s impact is.</p><p>Their next home game will be on January 16th against the Utah Jazz.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks hilarious reactions to 1st game at Intuit Dome

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rockets-news-ime-udoka-reveals-advice-that-sparked-jalen-greens-41-point-outburst');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Ime Udoka reveals advice that sparked Jalen Green’s 41-point outburst');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Rockets-news-Ime-Udoka-reveals-advice-that-sparked-Jalen-Greens-41-point-outburst.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets’ Ime Udoka reveals advice that sparked Jalen Green’s 41-point outburst</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-27T20:48:50-08:00">November 27th, 8:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-27T20:48:50-08:00">November 27th, 8:48pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jalen Green may have received a three-year, $105 million extension from the Houston Rockets this offseason, but his long-term staying power on the team remains up in the air. Over the past few games, head coach Ime Udoka has opted to bench Green in favor of Amen Thompson amid the fourth-year guard’s struggles in shooting the basketball. But on Wednesday night, Green forced Udoka and the Rockets’ hand by putting up a season-best performance in their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-biggest-76ers-takeaways-vs-rockets-overtime">122-115 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers</a>.</p><p>Green, from the tip-off, looked like a man with a chip on his shoulder. He put up <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/jalen-green-stats-1st-quarter-today" rel="noopener">18 points in the first quarter alone</a>, finishing with 41 points on 12-20 shooting from the field, 4-6 from deep, and 13-14 from the foul line — elite efficiency from the Rockets guard. And this stellar outing may have come as a result of Udoka’s specific instruction for the 22-year-old highflyer.</p><p>According to Bradeaux of The Bradeaux and Will Show, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka told Green to <a href="https://x.com/BradeauxNBA/status/1861969592253329910" rel="noopener">be more aggressive</a> in getting to the basket and getting “downhill” so that he “wouldn’t be as reliant on his jumpshot”. Suffice to say, this change worked; Green got to the charity stripe a lot on the night, and it opened up his perimeter game as a result.</p><p>Green has had a tendency of settling for difficult shots; while he is capable of making them, he is at his best when he’s putting pressure on opposing defenses by attacking the basket. He has the quick first step and the vertical to be a nuisance around the rim, and whenever he’s being more proactive in getting to the rim, his entire offensive game becomes easier.</p><p>With Green being on fire for most of Wednesday night, the Rockets decided that it was Jabari Smith Jr.’s time to ride the pine late in a close game.</p><h2><b>Rockets continue rapid ascension</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Rockets-guard-Jalen-Green-4-drives-for-a-dunk.jpg"></figure><p>Not only were the Rockets coming off an overtime win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, they also had to travel to Philadelphia for their game against the 76ers less than 24 hours later. This was going to take a physical toll out of anybody, and yet, the Rockets still managed to outlast the 76ers after letting a comfortable lead slip away in the fourth quarter.</p><p>It was the Rockets’ fresh legs that led them across the finish line as the victor; in addition to Jalen Green’s stellar night, Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, dubbed the “Terror Twins”, were once again driving forces in the victory — setting the stage for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-alperen-sengun-triple-double-history-not-even-nikola-jokic-achieved">Alperen Sengun to seal the deal</a> after his rough start to the game.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Ime Udoka reveals advice that sparked Jalen Green’s 41-point outburst

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-defies-gravity-insane-block-jalen-green');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama defies gravity with insane block vs. Jalen Green');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Victor-Wembanyama-defies-gravity-with-insane-block-vs.-Jalen-Green.jpg"></figure><h1>Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama defies gravity with insane block vs. Jalen Green</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-06T17:58:01-08:00">November 6th, 5:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-06T18:59:39-08:00">November 6th, 6:59pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Antonio <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-unique-victor-wembanyama-admission">Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama</a> may not be from Earth. The French international made yet another dazzling play on Wednesday night, showing off his vertical with a<a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1854334506796298310" rel="noopener"> two-hand block</a> against Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Wemby with the REJECTION on Jalen Green 🤯<a href="https://t.co/xusSyKb3o6">pic.twitter.com/xusSyKb3o6</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1854334506796298310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-reveals-new-difficulties-in-year-2">Wembanyama hasn’t had a sophomore slump</a> after a dominant Rookie of the Year campaign. The 7-foot-3, 235-pounder led the NBA with 3.9 blocks per game going into Wednesday’s slate, a year after leading the league with 3.6 blocks per contest. He’s also been impactful offensively and on the boards, averaging 18.9 points on 42.3% shooting with 10.3 rebounds.</p><p>Can “Wemby” be stopped?</p><h2><b>Victor Wembanyama is still ascending with Spurs </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Victor-Wembanyama-flexing-after-a-play.jpg"><figcaption>© Rob Gray-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Wembanyama is not only a unicorn on the court due to his skyscraper-like height, ability to bring the ball up, and defensive dominance, but he also has a tireless work ethic—so much so, in fact, that he’s not impressed with some of his peers in that regard.</p><p>Wembanyama <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu_zs2CBsmg" rel="noopener">shared what he’s observed</a> about other NBA players so far, via Sports Illustrated.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>“I think both in a good and bad way it’s how truly the best in the game are. How in a good way some of them are really impressive and inspiring in the way they approach the game every night,” the 2024 Olympian said. “But others that I used to like and now I’m just like nah. I’m not sure that they deserve you know… they don’t seem like they put as much work as I thought.”</p><p>“Some of the guys it was kind of, some of the guys I’ve been watching growing up, I’m not disappointed, but I’m like that’s it? But some of them, I’m talking like KD, of course, you know I got to know Rudy Gobert more with the national team, I know their work ethic. I know how they view the game and it’s really inspiring and I want to do the same. I want to do the same.”</p><p>Wembanyama’s comment was spicy, but he’s earned the right to talk some trash given his other-wordly abilities. With the 2023 No. 1 overall pick still developing, he’s an easy bet to win multiple MVP awards as he tries to take San Antonio out of the Western Conference cellar.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama defies gravity with insane block vs. Jalen Green

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/sources-jonathan-kuminga-alperen-sengun-jalen-green-contract-extension-decisions');   ga('set', 'title', 'Sources: Inside Jonathan Kuminga, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green contract extension decisions');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Sources-Inside-Jonathan-Kuminga-Alperen-Sengun-Jalen-Green-contract-extension-decisions-3.jpg"></figure><h1>Sources: Inside Jonathan Kuminga, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green contract extension decisions</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-21T15:29:19-07:00">October 21st, 3:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-21T15:29:19-07:00">October 21st, 3:29pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On the eve of the 2024-25 NBA season, players around the league are gearing up for what should be a super competitive year. While the focus of the NBA as a whole is on Tuesday’s opening night, young talents like Jonathan Kuminga, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, and others have had their eyes set on rookie-scale contract extensions.</p><p>Unlike regular free agent contracts that are negotiated in the NBA offseason between teams, players, and their agents, these contract extensions for players still having their current rookie deals are oftentimes the hardest to navigate simply because they represent projections and chance.</p><p>While Kuminga has a lot of potential and promise, the Golden State Warriors are tasked with putting a value on his future while also needing to appease their emerging talent and his representation. The same can be said about Sengun and Green with the Houston Rockets, an organization that is still working on building themselves into a real contender again after the departure of James Harden in 2021. Unlike Kuminga, who did not receive a new deal, Green and Sengun secured their long-term commitment from the Rockets.</p><p>Several players from the 2021 NBA Draft class, not just those named above, have been in talks with their respective organizations this offseason leading up to the start of the new season regarding a possible contract extension. Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans, Moses Moody of the Warriors, Jalen Suggs of the Orlando Magic, Corey Kispert of the Washington Wizards, Jalen Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks, and both Sengun and Green earned extensions with their respective teams right before Monday evening’s NBA extension deadline.</p><p>Unlike Kuminga, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-moses-moody-extension-before-2024-25-season">Moody and the Warriors agree to a three-year, $39 million extension</a> to remain a key secondary talent for Golden State. Although there was some discussion of Moody and his camp holding out over the summer, it had become clear that the Warriors wanted to lock him up on a new commitment. Initially, Moody was searching for a four-year extension, league sources told ClutchPoints, yet the two sides were able to come to terms on a three-year deal.</p><p>In Murphy’s case, he earned a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-trey-murphy-iii-112-million-contract-extension">four-year, $112 million contract from the Pelicans</a>. Through the years, Murphy has shown steady growth as a key offensive weapon for New Orleans, and he has stepped up numerous times in the absence of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. There is a real internal belief that Murphy can be the face of the Pelicans, sources said, which is why their long-term commitment to the 24-year-old is not all that surprising. After all, Ingram continues to be a prominent name in trade talks for the Pelicans.</p><p>Suggs, an All-Defensive guard and one of the key building blocks for the Magic, earned a five-year, $150.5 million contract with an annual average value of $30.1 million on Monday. Kispert got a similar deal to what the Wizards gave Deni Avdija a couple of seasons ago, as he received a four-year, $54 million contract extension. The Hawks were also busy in the Eastern Conference by giving Johnson, an emerging forward, a five-year, $150 million extension.</p><p>Out of all the new extensions that were agreed upon in the NBA on Monday, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-jonathan-kuminga-fails-to-reach-contract-extension-agreement">Kuminga remains without the long-term commitment he sought</a> from the Warriors. His future is now uncertain, as the 2024-25 NBA season is about proving that he is worth the max-level contract extension that was asked for.</p><h2><b>Jonathan Kuminga – Golden State Warriors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Jonathan-Kuminga-dribbles-basketball.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Last season was one to forget for the Warriors, as nothing seemed to go right. Between the constant lineup changes and fluctuations with the Western Conference standings, Golden State ended up missing the playoffs due to the fact that they never found their footing. With this said, Jonathan Kuminga was one of the team’s only bright spots, as the 22-year-old started in 46 of his 74 appearances, averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor. All of these marks were new career highs for the young, dynamic forward.</p><p>Kuminga and his camp held contract discussions with the Warriors dating back to the very end of the 2023-24 season, league sources told ClutchPoints. While the Warriors have held interest in keeping Kuminga, along with Moody, the two sides have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-jonathan-kuminga-holds-keys-warriors-future">long been far apart on Kuminga’s overall value</a> leading up to the NBA extensions deadline. Whereas Kuminga and his representation are putting a significant price tag on his potential and growth, Golden State has not been willing to discuss the 22-year-old as a max-level type of player.</p><p>With Klay Thompson no longer around, there is a clear path to Kuminga becoming this type of player. Then again, the Warriors understand the risk associated with giving their young talent this type of contract, which is why they are willing to wait and see how the 2024-25 season plays out. The main reason why Kuminga’s contract situation is different from Moody’s is because Golden State still maintains a level of flexibility with Moody since he signed for around the mid-level exception.</p><p>If the Warriors were to agree to terms on a near-max-level deal with Kuminga, he would be locked in with the Warriors for a foreseeable future, a similar scenario to what happened with Jordan Poole following their title run in 2022. The only reason why the Warriors could get out of Poole’s contract was because of a unique situation that presented itself with Chris Paul. New first and second apron rules now make situations like this a lot less likely.</p><p>Maintaining financial flexibility and having a clear vision for the future have been the two most important governing aspects for the Warriors’ front office. The extension given to Moody does not hinder their long-term payroll approach, and a clearer vision for the future will be presented during the 2024-25 season. After all, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-gm-hints-warriors-didnt-trade-for-paul-george-lauri-markkanen">Warriors did attempt to trade for both Paul George and Lauri Markkanen</a> just a few months ago, which is why many around the league are still anticipating a big move in the near future from this franchise.</p><p>There is no doubt that the Warriors want to keep Kuminga around. He is a player that the organization values, and the growth he has shown as a young, athletic talent on the wing is something that is rare to find in today’s league. However, the two sides never came close to an agreement leading up to the 2024-25 season, sources said. A near-max extension is what Kuminga and his camp have long wanted — a deal similar to what Scottie Barnes and Franz Wagner got from the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic, respectively, this offseason. The Warriors, sources said, had been looking to keep him on a new extension in the ballpark of $30 million per season.</p><p>With no significant progress being made in contract extension talks, Kuminga now enters the 2024-25 season, one in which he will be a starter for the Warriors and looking to prove that he can be the All-Star talent the organization anticipates him growing into.</p><h2><b>Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green – Houston Rockets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Alperen-Sengun-with-Jalen-Green.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>If it weren’t for a freak leg injury to Sengun and the Rockets running out of steam last season, they would’ve been fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament. General manager Rafael Stone and Houston’s front office have done an excellent job through the years of building a team in their own image, one that can sustain long-term growth through the draft. That is the main reason behind the mindset of keeping Sengun and Green for the foreseeable future.</p><p>Despite hearing his name come up in rumors ahead of the trade deadline last season, particularly when the Rockets expressed interest in Mikal Bridges, Green remained a focal point in Houston. At 22 years old, Green continues to evolve into an offensive weapon that uses his athleticism to his advantage at the shooting guard position. Due to the Rockets having talent in their backcourt, Green has not had to expand his usage and take a step back from being a high-level scorer in order to help facilitate the offense. This is also the case because of Sengun’s ability to be a do-it-all center like Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis, who tend to initiate their team’s offense from the perimeter.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-paul-george-klay-thompson-futures-decided-nba-playoffs">Rockets have long believed in Green and his potential</a> to be one of the faces of the franchise, which is why the two sides ultimately came to an agreement on a three-year, $106 million contract extension on Monday before the NBA extensions deadline. More importantly, this deal is a win-win for everyone. While Green gets his new contract with an annual average value of $35.3 million, he also gets the ability to opt out after the second year in order to seek a long-term, max contract from Houston. On the other side of things, the organization gets to keep their rising star while also maintaining a level of flexibility since he will need to prove himself further to get that max-level deal.</p><p>Essentially, Green is creating opportunity for himself while also cashing in on his value right now. In addition to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-jalen-green-106-million-contract-extension">signing a three-year, $106 million extension,</a> which will hold an annual average value of $35.3 million, Green will be <a href="https://x.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1848453606736793652" rel="noopener">eligible to extend his contract</a> in October 2026 and agree to at least a four-year, $227 million extension, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.</p><p>There is real belief from the Rockets that Green can be an All-Star-level player in this league and that he can grow even more heading into his second season with Ime Udoka as the head coach of the team.</p><p>With the same belief existing for Sengun, the Rockets reached an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-alperen-sengun-agrees-185-million-contract-extension-after-jalen-green">agreement on a five-year, $185 million contract with their star center</a> on Monday, sources confirmed to ClutchPoints. Sengun is coming off a career year in which he averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 53.7 percent from the floor. He finished third in the NBA’s Most Improved Player award voting after suffering a season-ending leg injury and missing the final 19 games of the regular season.</p><p>For years, the Rockets had been tied to conversations about big men hitting the market, both in free agency and on the trade market. Prior to his new contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, Brook Lopez was seriously considering signing with the Rockets in 2023, sources said. Ultimately, the Rockets stuck with Sengun, and this is a decision they have not regretted whatsoever. Sengun has shown flashes of being one of the best centers in the NBA given his ability to score in the paint and make others around him better as a passer. Houston added Steven Adams last season not only to fortify their frontcourt but also to help mentor Sengun.</p><p>The situation between Sengun and the Rockets was somewhat similar to Kuminga’s with the Warriors in terms of the player and his representation wanting max value given his production leading up to the NBA extensions deadline. In Sengun’s case, he was a borderline All-Star a season ago and wants to capitalize on his future with a high rookie-scale extension before the 2024-25 season. The Rockets, sources said, were not close on a deal with Sengun, with a week remaining until the start of the 2024-25 season. While the two sides were talking, it was believed that no deal would be reached.</p><p>This changed when Sengun and his camp were willing to accept a deal with an annual average value less than $40 million, which is how the sides came together on a $185 million extension that holds an average annual value of $37 million. The team was also willing to offer the 22-year-old center a deal similar to Green’s, which would’ve given him a chance at a max contract a couple of years from now. The need for long-term commitment was needed to make a deal happen, which is why Stone and the Rockets were happy to make this extension their reality.</p><p>Green and Sengun are now the future of the Rockets. This has been the case over the last few seasons, and now this will be the case moving forward. Although there have been rumors suggesting Houston is wanting to be active on the trade block, they will no longer do so with Green nor Sengun in mind. With a plethora of other young talents and draft picks, the Rockets are well-equipped to be aggressive on the trade market with any All-Star-level talent that becomes available between now and February’s trade deadline.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Sources: Inside Jonathan Kuminga, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green contract extension decisions

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rockets-news-alperen-sengun-agrees-185-million-contract-extension-after-jalen-green');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Alperen Sengun agrees to $185 million contract extension after Jalen Green');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Alperen-Sengun-agrees-to-185-million-contract-extension-after-Jalen-Green.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets’ Alperen Sengun agrees to $185 million contract extension after Jalen Green</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-21T15:04:06-07:00">October 21st, 3:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-22T06:35:42-07:00">October 22nd, 6:35am</time><address><a>Christopher Smith</a>Christopher Smith is an associate editor covering a variety of sports with a beat focus on the Chicago Sky for ClutchPoints. The Aurora, Illinois native earned a degree in philosophy from Creighton University, where he also competed as a Division 1 Cross Country runner.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets are inching closer to their 2024-25 NBA regular season debut. Houston could make a sizeable improvement during the campaign, given the caliber of talent they are returning to the team. One of the Rockets’ biggest bright spots, Alperen Sengun, suffered a season-ending injury in 2024. But amid a strong recovery and bright future, he and Houston have <a href="https://x.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1848480755078357435" rel="noopener">come to a notable contract agreement</a>.</p><p>Alperen Sengun and the Rockets have agreed on a five-year, $185 million rookie extension, ESPN Front Office Insider Bobby Marks reports. The contract includes a player option in its last year, Marks added.</p><p>The move comes just after the Rockets agreed to a unique <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-jalen-green-106-million-contract-extension">$106 million extension with star guard Jalen Green</a>.</p><p>In early October, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reported there was a  <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-alperen-sengun-rockets-legitimate-chance-contract-extension">“legitimate chance” Sengun and the Rockets would agree</a> to an extension. ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel provided more insight on Sengun’s standing with Houston before the two sides agreed to an offer.</p><p>“Since the middle of last season, the language coming from Houston suggested that the team envisions Sengun being their center of the future. Although the Rockets explored other options in the 2023 offseason, including Milwaukee Bucks big man Brook Lopez, league sources told ClutchPoints in March that the team had not given any indications that Sengun was available on the trade market or that the team had a desire to see him leave,” Siegel wrote on Oct. 1.</p><p>The 21-year-old Rockets center had a career year in 2024-25. After averaging 14.1 points and 9.0 rebounds in his previous campaign, Sengun improved to a team-leading 21.1 points and 9.3 boards. Unfortunately, Sengun sprained his right ankle in March of 2024. Yet, he is healthy and ready to help his team get to the next level ahead of 2024-25 Opening Night.</p><p>Sengun and the Rockets look to climb the Western Conference standings and make the playoffs again for the first time since the James Harden era.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Alperen Sengun agrees to $185 million contract extension after Jalen Green

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rockets-news-jalen-green-106-million-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Jalen Green gets unique $106 million contract extension after skepticism');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rockets-news-Jalen-Green-gets-106-million-contract-extension-after-skepticism.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets’ Jalen Green gets unique $106 million contract extension after skepticism</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-21T12:55:11-07:00">October 21st, 12:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-21T13:18:06-07:00">October 21st, 1:18pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets and 2021 second overall pick Jalen Green have agreed to a <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1848450702147731877" rel="noopener">three-year, $106 million</a> rookie-scale contract extension, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>Green, 22, has been one of the faces of the Rockets organization since superstar James Harden was traded in 2021, and he has helped build the foundation of what the organization believes to be one of the better young cores in the entire league with Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and others. Initially, the belief was that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-hardball-alperen-sengun-jalen-green">Green wasn’t going to reach an agreement with Houston</a> prior to the start of the 2024-25 season. That is no longer the case, as the emerging star is now under contract for the next few seasons.</p><p>What is unique about Green’s new deal with Houston is that he has become the first player in league history to negotiate a nine-figure rookie-scale extension that includes a player option in the third year of said contract. Aside from the commitment from the Rockets, Green now gets the opportunity to still capitalize on his potential by possibly opting out at the conclusion of the 2026-27 NBA season in order to seek a max-level contract.</p><p>Essentially, Green is creating opportunity for himself while also cashing in on his value right now. In addition to signing a three-year, $106 million extension that will hold an annual average value of $35.3 million, Green will be <a href="https://x.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1848453606736793652" rel="noopener">eligible to extend his contract</a> in October 2026 and agree to at least a four-year, $227 million extension, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.</p><p>Green, who started in all 82 games for the Rockets last season, averaged 19.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the floor and 33.2 percent from three-point range. Despite the decrease in efficiency and scoring compared to the 2022-23 season, Green has shown clear growth since being drafted second overall, and he has solidified his spot as one of the focal points of this organization.</p><p>At the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-paul-george-klay-thompson-futures-decided-nba-playoffs">Rockets held interest in negotiating a new deal with Green</a> as he entered the final year of his rookie contract, league sources told ClutchPoints. Despite his name coming up in rumors ahead of the trade deadline last season, the Rockets are confident in Green’s ability to be a star for the foreseeable future.</p><p>After coming to terms with Green on a new extension, the big question surrounding Houston is whether or not they do the same with Alperen Sengun, who has also been one of the young faces of their team in recent seasons. Sengun was in the running for the 2023-24 NBA Most Improved Player before suffering a season-ending leg injury.</p><p>With Sengun out of the lineup, Green shined to close the 2023-24 season, averaging 24.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in his final 17 games. Between his production, proven growth, and limitless potential, the Rockets made the swift decision to find common ground on a new contract extension that proves to Green that he is the focal point of this organization.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Jalen Green gets unique $106 million contract extension after skepticism

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-hardball-alperen-sengun-jalen-green');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets playing hardball with Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NBA-rumors-Rockets-playing-hardball-with-Alperen-Sengun-Jalen-Green.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets playing hardball with Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-20T11:32:02-07:00">October 20th, 11:32am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-20T11:32:02-07:00">October 20th, 11:32am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets have a large group of young players who have yet to sign extensions, and at least two of them could remain without a new deal for a while.</p><p>Although both have shown flashes of high-level play, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-alperen-sengun-rockets-legitimate-chance-contract-extension">center Alperen Sengun</a> and guard Jalen Green reportedly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-not-ready-max-alperen-sengun-jalen-green">may not receive suitable contract offers</a> before the 2024-25 NBA season begins this week.</p><p>“Houston has not been willing to approach a maximum contract for either Jalen Green or Alperen Sengun, sources said,” NBA insider Jake Fischer<a href="https://www.threads.net/@thepeoplesinsidershow/post/DBS5_Gkxx_5?xmt=AQGzTW3WOkYHOXxxxyZ7pqDN2LVDaWWkCXxm5VlgMLpScw" rel="noopener"> wrote on</a> Threads. “Both young Rockets phenoms’ representations have stated each player is deserving of top dollar that, so far, Houston has yet to offer. The Rockets are open to extending both players, but also content with extending neither before the year begins, sources said.”</p><h2><b>Will Rockets offer max contracts to Alperen Sengun or Jalen Green?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alperen-Sengun-dapping-up-Jalen-Green-1.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Both Green and Sengun were drafted by Houston in 2021; Green was taken second overall, while Sengun came off of the board with the 16th pick. Although Green was naturally projected to be the better player as the higher draft pick, Sengun has since blossomed into a dependable offensive force. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-grading-alperen-sengun-breakout-season">In his third season, the Turkish big man</a> averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.2 steals (all career-high marks) and finished third in Most Improved Player voting.</p><p>In general, Green’s offense had never been much of an issue — he averaged 22.1 points and shot 34% from three in his second year — but the young guard’s defense lagged through his first two seasons in the league. This past season, his first under head coach Ime Udoka, he took a major leap on the defensive end, which helped the Rockets make a 19-win year-over-year improvement.</p><p>There are still questions about Green, though, especially in regard to whether he can improve his efficiency. As for Sengun, his shooting and defense remain points of concern despite his high-level offensive skillset. Additionally, Houston managed to win nine straight games when Sengun went down with an injury last year, leading some in the media to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-jalen-green-rockets-are-thriving-without-alperen-sengun">question how valuable he truly is to the team’s success</a>. That may not be much of a question, though, considering the Rockets also lost six of their last nine games without Sengun and missed out on a spot in the Play-In.</p><p>Nonetheless, it would seem unwise for the Rockets to let one or both of Green and Sengun enter the year without signing new deals. They are each entering the last season under contract — Sengun will earn $5.4 million, while Green gets $12.5 million — and are set to become restricted free agents next summer.</p><p>A five-year max contract for Sengun or Green is expected to be valued at about $224 million, and that figure could rise to about $270 million if they earn an All-NBA selection or win Defensive Player of the Year or Most Valuable Player.</p><p>Players in the 2021 draft class that have already signed max extensions include the Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes, Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley, Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner, and the No. 1 overall pick in that draft, the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets playing hardball with Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/hornets-news-brandon-miller-ranks-ahead-bradley-beal-jalen-green-espn');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets’ Brandon Miller ranks ahead of Bradley Beal, Jalen Green in ESPN’s Top 100');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/0-Brandon-Miller-ranks-just-ahead-of-Bradley-Beal-Jalen-Green-in-ESPNs-Top-100-0.jpg"></figure><h1>Hornets’ Brandon Miller ranks ahead of Bradley Beal, Jalen Green in ESPN’s Top 100</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-17T10:10:52-07:00">October 17th, 10:10am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-17T10:10:52-07:00">October 17th, 10:10am</time><address><a>Jerry Donatien</a>Jerry Donatien has worked for ClutchPoints since 2018. He is currently the company's Charlotte Hornets reporter, and he also does voiceovers on different sports stories. He worked the NBA All-Star weekend in 2019 and 2023, the NCAA woman's tournament, and he interned with Beasley Media group.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a productive rookie season, Charlotte Hornets’ Brandon Miller landed on the <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/41555759/nba-rank-2024-2025-best-players-100-51" rel="noopener">ESPN’s list of the top 100 players</a> in the NBA. Miller is ranked at 68th, while Jalen Green is at 69th, with Bradley Beal coming in at 70th. That’s also ahead of other talented names like Michael Porter Jr., CJ McCollum, Jarrett Allen, and others. After taking advantage of his opportunity to step up in the 2023-24 season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hornets-news-brandon-miller-sends-dangerous-warning-to-rest-of-nba">Miller made the most of it and got rewarded</a>. Now it’s about figuring out how to maintain that level and improve.</p><h2><b>Landing on this list means higher expectations for Brandon Miller</b></h2><p>Miller was the engine for this team a season ago, but he will <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hornets-brandon-miller-miles-bridges-dominate-alongside-lamelo-ball">share those responsibilities in 2024-25 with LaMelo Ball</a>. Meaning that Miller’s job will be even easier than his first season. Having someone that is a true point guard and a playmaker will allow him to operate off the ball. More catch and shoot situations should create more high percentage shots. After averaging 17.3 points, that number should jump up into the low to mid 20s with your franchise guard back.</p><p>Miller would even be relied upon to create for others more. The true makings of players on this list is that they aren’t one dimensional in terms of what they bring to their team. With the defensive attention that he’ll attract on a nightly basis, those assists numbers should also take a leap. Across the board, Miller will improve and help his team win games because of that improvement. That includes more wins, postseason play potentially, you name it.</p><h2><b>All-Star reserve in the cards for Brandon Miller?</b></h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Brandon Miller looking ready for the regular season! 👌</p><p>26 PTS | 5 REB | 3 AST | 6 3PM | 50.0 FG% <a href="https://t.co/SAbPOaZadR">pic.twitter.com/SAbPOaZadR</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1846378560359223630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>It’s natural to assume that the next step for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-brandon-miller-primed-all-star-campaign">Miller would be to nab his first career All-Star</a> appearance. The numbers could be there to support this assumption since the Hornets could be a better overall team. Think back to someone like Paolo Banchero with the Orlando Magic. Had a good rookie season- 20 points, 3.7 assists, and 6.9 rebounds. He upped those numbers the next year to earn his first All-Star appearance in year two of what we’re expecting to be a very long career.</p><p>That’s the expectations for young players drafted high. They figure it out and get comfortable in year one, but start reassuring you that they’ll be even better in year two. It’ll be tough, but Miller does have a shot to earn his first appearance on that stage come February.</p><h2><b>What Brandon Miller’s improvement does for Hornets’ basketball</b></h2><p>If Brandon Miller fills these shoes that have been placed in front of him it’ll be huge for the Hornets. With the new regime taking things over with Jeff Peterson spearheading the front office, it’s a great sign for what is to come. That doesn’t mean it’s postseason or bust. It means that it’s improvement in on court play, but also culture identity. Growing and developing player’s games to take the team to new heights.</p><p>Brandon Miller is one of the two faces that can help push this organization into places they haven’t seen before. Along with LaMelo Ball, they could do some special things in 2024-25.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets’ Brandon Miller ranks ahead of Bradley Beal, Jalen Green in ESPN’s Top 100

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rockets-news-jalen-green-seeking-long-term-contract-2024-25-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Jalen Green seeking long-term contract entering 2024-25 season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Rockets-news-Jalen-Green-seeking-long-term-contract-entering-2024-25-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets’ Jalen Green seeking long-term contract entering 2024-25 season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-16T08:25:52-07:00">September 16th, 8:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-16T08:25:52-07:00">September 16th, 8:25am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets will have a big decision to make soon on high-flying shooting guard Jalen Green, as he is on tract to become a restricted free agent <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-top-100-player-rankings-2024-25-season-100-76">after the 2024-25 NBA season</a>. Green has his $12.48 million option for the next season picked up by the Rockets, but there are no guarantees beyond that.</p><p>Green has already expressed his <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rockets/article/houston-jalen-green-contract-extension-19765015.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&amp;utm_source=t.co&amp;utm_medium=referral" rel="noopener">clear stance on a possible extension</a> with the Rockets during last Saturday’s Jalen Green Youth Basketball Camp in Houston.</p><p>“For sure,” Green said about his dream of inking a long-term extension deal with the only team he’s played for so far in the NBA (h/t Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle).</p><p>“My main focus is the season ahead of me with the players that we have, go to the playoffs and go as far as we can. We’re building that team camaraderie, who we are. That’s the main focus right now, and everything will work itself out.”</p><p>Green, who is still just 22 years old, appears to be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/predicting-rockets-record-2024-25-season-schedule-release">excited over the Rockets’ future</a>. Houston won just 42 games in Green’s first two seasons in the NBA, but it took a big step forward in the 2023-24 campaign where the franchise went 41-41. It was the Rockets’ first .500 or better season since 2019-20, which was also the last time Houston, made the NBA Playoffs.</p><p>“We were really just out there playing, getting that team chemistry,” Green said about the season the Rockets just had. “That’s the biggest thing right now, working to get better … all together as a team.”</p><p>With the likes of Dillon Brook and Fred VanVleet coming over to Houston, the Rockets had a much more defined identity as a team, and it showed in the way they played.</p><p>“We went out last season with a bang,” Green said about Houston’s late surge last season. “We’re all on the same page, know what it takes to win. We know what we can do if we play hard. I think we know what we have to do going into this season from the beginning to the end, so hopefully, that leads us into the playoffs.”</p><p>During the Rockets’ 11-game win streak last March, Green went on quite an unforgettable offensive outburst, as he averaged 30.2 points while <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/greenja05/gamelog/2024" rel="noopener">shooting 50.4 percent from the floor</a> and 45.5 percent from the 3-point area.</p><h2><b>Is an All-Star season ahead for Rockets young star Jalen Green?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Jalen-Green-of-the-Rockets-in-action-during-Rockets-Clippers-game.jpg"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Green has yet to earn an All-Star nod after three seasons in the pros, but he certainly has the tools to become one soon. With uncertainty on his next contract, Green can use the 2024-25 season as a prove-it year where he can go all out to convince the Rockets that he’s deserving of a massive extension. The Rockets also don’t have to rush things with Green, as they can match any offer he could potentially get in the market.</p><p>Together with Alperen Sengun and rookie Reed Sheppard, Houston has a young trio that has the potential to deliver a title to H-Town.</p><p>It should help Green attain that goal if he improves his offensive efficiency and become a more consistent perimeter scorer just like what he showed the rest of the league back in March. So far in his NBA career, Green has shot just 42.1 percent from the floor and only 33.7 percent from behind the arc. His true-shooting percentage last season was just 54.1%, while his effective field goal percentage was 49.6%.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Jalen Green seeking long-term contract entering 2024-25 season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-kevin-durant-jalen-green-chet-holmgren');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Kevin Durant works out with Jalen Green, Chet Holmgren before 2024-25 season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Suns-news-Kevin-Durant-works-out-with-Jalen-Green-Chet-Holmgren-before-2024-25-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Kevin Durant works out with Jalen Green, Chet Holmgren before 2024-25 season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-29T17:38:27-07:00">August 29th, 5:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-29T17:38:27-07:00">August 29th, 5:38pm</time><address><a>David Korn</a>David Korn is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints. He is also a producer at MLB Network Radio and covers college basketball for A10Talk. David graduated from George Washington in 2023, where he was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for their Men's and Women's Basketball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant has had himself quite the summer. Even after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/olympics-news-kevin-durant-predicts-if-somebody-break-his-team-usa-scoring-record">becoming Team USA’s all-time leading scorer at the Olympics</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/olympics-news-kevin-durant-throws-shade-dennis-schroder-after-gold-medal-win">leading the Americans to another gold medal, Durant</a> is still going all-out as he prepares for a crucial 2024-25 season with the Suns.</p><p>Video of Durant putting in work at an open run featuring some of the biggest names in basketball was posted on Thursday, and KD looks as dominant as ever.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kevin Durant, Jalen Green, Chet Holmgren, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jordan Clarkson putting the work in for the upcoming season 🔥</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/swishcultures_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@swishcultures_</a>)<a href="https://t.co/xggjZ3HUgF">pic.twitter.com/xggjZ3HUgF</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1829281168908497026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Oklahoma City Thunder second-year star Chet Holmgren, Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, Utah Jazz sixth man Jordan Clarkson and the Cleveland Cavaliers duo of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley all joined Durant in the open run.</p><p>In the video, Durant can be seen hitting a turnaround baseline jump shot over the 7-1 Holmgren, nailing another mid-range jumper on the move at the top of the key and working on is interior and perimeter defense.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/olympics-news-team-usa-encouraging-kevin-durant-injury-update">Durant was dealing with a left calf strain</a> before the Olympics, and while he was not limited at all in Paris and looked 100%, it is still great news to see Durant on the court and healthy.</p><h2><b>Kevin Durant’s outlook for the 2024-25 season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Kevin-Durant-at-the-2024-Olympic-games.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports.</figcaption></figure><p>Durant, who will turn 36 before the start of the regular season, showed that he is still one of the best players in the world after a dominant performance at the Olympics this summer. He scored 13.8 points per game and shot an incredibly efficient 54.0% from the field and 51.9% from three during Olympic competition while becoming the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/olympics-news-kevin-durant-secures-olympics-first-gold-medal-win-vs-france"> first American male basketball player to earn four gold medals.</a></p><p>Durant’s best performance for Team USA came in the opening matchup against Serbia, where he came off the bench and scored 23 points, shooting a perfect 5-5 from three and 8-9 from the field.</p><p>Last season, his first full year with the Suns, Durant averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 52.3% from the field and 41.3% from three. Despite Durant having a great individual season, the Suns did not have as much team success as they would have hoped, getting swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs after forming a “Big Three” of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.</p><p>Durant is going to need to continue producing at an All-NBA level in order for the Suns to reach their full potential. If the work he has done this summer is any indication, Durant should have no problem achieving that goal.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Kevin Durant works out with Jalen Green, Chet Holmgren before 2024-25 season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-not-ready-max-alperen-sengun-jalen-green');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets not ready to max Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Rockets-not-ready-to-max-Alperen-Sengun-Jalen-Green.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets not ready to max Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-02T08:47:28-07:00">July 2nd, 8:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-02T08:47:28-07:00">July 2nd, 8:47am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets have some young talent on their squad that they are trying to keep building around to form a real contender in the Western Conference, and Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green are the two players who stick out for the team. Both are eligible for max rookie extensions, like Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes got, but <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5608131/2024/07/02/houston-rockets-free-agency/?source=user_shared_article&amp;utm_content=buffer4012d&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer&amp;redirected=1" rel="noopener">unlikely to receive</a> them from the Rockets.</p><p>“At this stage, it’s unlikely either Sengun or Green receive max rookie extensions — both are eligible for a five-year deal worth up to $224.2 million, per The Athletic’s salary cap expert Danny LeRoux,” Kelly Iko of The Athletic said. “Houston has had conversations with both camps concerning an extension and will continue dialogue during the offseason, but the chances of either player inking an agreement in the realm of fellow 2021 draftees Cade Cunningham ($236 million) or Scottie Barnes (potentially up to $270 million) are slim. It’s more likely the Rockets revisit this next year, unless there is an agreement that benefits both sides.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-superstar-trade-dreams-get-far-fetched-update">After the Rockets hired</a> Ime Udoka last offseason, they have had the goal of entering contention with their young squad, while keeping open the possibility of acquiring a star player. They made a run late in the season to try to make the play-in tournament, but were not able to chase down the Golden State Warriors. Still, this was a step forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-houston-decision-fred-vanvleet-backup">for the Rockets</a> as a team who proved they can win games against quality opponents, mainly on the strength of their defense.</p><p>Alperen Sengun was a big part of that, as he <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sengual01.html" rel="noopener">averaged 21.1 points</a> with 9.3 rebounds this past season, according to Basketball Reference. At just 21 years old, Sengun is a part of the long-term plan for the Rockets, whether that is building around him or using him in a trade to get a superstar.</p><p>Jalen Green is a good young piece as well. He <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/greenja05.html" rel="noopener">averaged 19.6 points</a> per game this season with 5.2 rebounds, according to Basketball reference. Although he could improve his efficiency from where it currently is, he still has time to grow at 21 years old as well. He has been rumored in trades in the past too.</p><h2><b>Rockets save assets they have stocked for big trade</b></h2><p>The Rockets have been one of the teams in the NBA that stick out as a team that could make a big trade for a star player. They swapped picks with the Brooklyn Nets recently to theoretically make a push for Kevin Durant if he becomes available.</p><p>Houston was rumored to have interest in Mikal Bridges from the Nets, but passed and let the New York Knicks get him. Green was rumored as a possible player that would have headed to Brookln in the past if that deal did take place. Ultimately, Mikal Bridges made it clear that he would have eventually signed with the Knicks anyway.</p><p>The Rockets hope to take a step and make the playoffs next season with internal growth from their core of players, but they are very much in the hunt for a big star as well. It is just a matter of who comes available and when.</p><p>Houston might have to buy time and eventually extend Sengun and Green next year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets not ready to max Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rockets-jalen-green-makes-bold-playoff-boast-on-2024-25-rockets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Jalen Green makes bold playoff boast on 2024-25 Rockets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Rockets-news-Jalen-Greens-bold-playoff-boast-on-2024-25-Rockets.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets’ Jalen Green makes bold playoff boast on 2024-25 Rockets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-25T12:32:59-07:00">May 25th, 12:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-25T12:32:59-07:00">May 25th, 12:32pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Naples, Florida</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After making the NBA Playoffs for eight consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2020, the Houston Rockets have since missed out on the postseason for four straight years, one season shy of the longest such stretch in franchise history. But if the 2023-24 season was any indication, it’s that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-calvin-murphys-bold-2024-25-prediction-is-a-warning-to-west">Rockets are on the rise</a>, ready to once again make their presence felt in the postseason.</p><p>The Rockets finished the 2023-24 season with a 41-41 record, which would’ve been good for a berth into the NBA Play-In Tournament if they were in the Eastern Conference. But in the loaded Western Conference, Houston finished five games behind the Golden State Warriors for the final Play-In spot. Now don’t be mistaken… the Western Conference will be just as tough, if not even tougher next year. Both San Antonio and Memphis will be in the postseason mix next year, and it’s possible that all ten teams that finished ahead of Houston in the standings this year won’t be going anywhere either.</p><p>But Houston Rockets shooting guard Jalen Green, who has spent three losing seasons with the franchise already since being selected 2nd overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stories/jalen/3375332745131158680/?hl=en" rel="noopener">appears to be confident</a> that the young Rockets will be playing meaningful basketball next April.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Houston Rockets in the Playoffs next season would be a dream come true.</p><p>Jalen Green posted this on his IG. <a href="https://t.co/GeQ59eNXSD">pic.twitter.com/GeQ59eNXSD</a></p><p>— RocketsMuse (@RocketsMuse) <a href="https://twitter.com/RocketsMuse/status/1794328189994672216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Jalen-Green-on-the-bench-with-Fred-VanVleet-and-Dillon-Brooks-1024x574.jpg"></figure><h2><b>Rockets on the rise? </b></h2><p>Now if the Houston Rockets were to make the NBA Playoffs next season, it wouldn’t be a result of a rapid, one-season turnaround, even though many will make it out to be just that. No, this particular Rockets team has been built carefully over the last few years with necessary coaching changes, savvy draft picks, and a few veteran contracts that initially turned heads but now seem to make more sense.</p><p>After off-court issues resulted in the splintering of the partnership between the Boston Celtics and former head coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets quickly pounced on the former player turned coach who instantly brought the best out of the Boston Celtics, leading them to the 2022 NBA Finals. Udoka’s coaching style forced a young Rockets team to grow up on the fly and care about things like playing defense, making the extra pass, making hustle plays, and more.</p><p>That young Rockets team has been built predominantly through the NBA Draft. Over the past three Drafts, the Rockets have selected five players who played meaningful minutes in Ime Udoka’s rotation last year: Jalen Green (19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game), Jabari Smith Jr. (13.7 points, 8.1 rebounds), Cam Whitmore (12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds), Tari Eason (9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds per game in 22 games), and Amen Thompson (9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists). This doesn’t include Alperen Sengun, who was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021 and traded one day later to the Rockets. Sengun has surprisingly become an offensive hub for the Rockets over the course of the last 18 months.</p><p>The final pieces were the veterans who could embody the message that Ime Udoka was trying to get across to his young team. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks were each signed to massive deals last summer… deals that were mostly panned around the league. But neither of their contracts disrupt the timeline that the Rockets are on. Neither does Jeff Green (who has a team option next year) or Steven Adams, who was traded to Houston in February.</p><p>In addition to all of that, the Rockets hold onto the 3rd overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft thanks to the Brooklyn Nets. Houston could add to their already blossoming young core, or they could <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-no-3-trade-buzz-intensifies">move that pick</a> in return for future assets or immediate help. Either way, it’s hard to dispute that the Rockets are on the rise as we head into the Summer of 2024.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Jalen Green makes bold playoff boast on 2024-25 Rockets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rockets-news-jalen-green-best-james-harden-impression-playing-all-82-games');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Jalen Green does best James Harden impression, playing all 82 games');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Jalen-Green-does-best-James-Harden-impression-playing-all-82-games.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets’ Jalen Green does best James Harden impression, playing all 82 games</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-04-15T20:26:39-07:00">April 15th, 8:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-04-15T20:26:39-07:00">April 15th, 8:26pm</time><address><a>Jeremy Gretzer</a>Jeremy Gretzer joins ClutchPoints with a unique blend of experience in both the performing arts and sports journalism. A Houston native, Jeremy is happy to receive the opportunity as a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Rockets. During his tenure at Back Sports Page, he honed his skills in sports writing, social media, and reporting, gaining valuable experience and having the opportunity to interact with notable figures from the NBA during media day, various charities, and pro camps events. His approach is analytical yet accessible, ensuring dedicated fans and casual readers alike can appreciate his insights.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s exceptionally rare to play an entire season in the modern NBA. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of players playing all 82 games has dipped to an average of seven, compared to twenty-four between 2012 and 2019. Nowadays, most NBA teams prioritize rest and load management.</p><p>But not Jalen Green. The Houston Rockets’ starting shooting guard did not sit out a single game in his third year.</p><h2><b>Rocket Man</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rockets-Jalen-Green.jpg"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The former G-League Ignite is just one of six players to achieve this goal this season. This is a testament to his innate durability. While it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-jalen-green-rockets-are-thriving-without-alperen-sengun">Green was key to catapulting</a> the Rockets to a 41-41 record, a nineteen-game jump from last season. This is also the first time in three years that they have not had a losing record.</p><p>Yes, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-future-alperen-sengun-jalen-green-offseason-trade-decisions">Green isn’t known to be</a> injury-prone in his young career quite yet, but his presence on the floor throughout each regular season game speaks volumes about his heightened impact.</p><p>“I train my body to play all 82. I want to play every game,” he said.</p><h2><b>Green vs. the Beard</b></h2><p>Green is the first Rockets guard to play all 82 games since James Harden in the 2015-2016 season. While that’s definitely something to brag about, Green’s production doesn’t quite match Harden’s yet. By this point, the Beard was the Rockets undisputed star and MVP candidate for the better half of a decade.</p><p>Many often referred Harden as Houston’s “Iron Man,” <a href="https://www.backsportspage.com/we-were-spoiled-with-houston-rockets-james-harden/">hardly ever suffering</a> a long term injury between the years 2013-2020. While this is just Green’s third season, this could set the precedent of an Iron Man sequel level of durability on the court.</p><h2><b>Playing through injuries</b></h2><p>Of course, no player is completely healthy for the majority of the season, which makes the tenacity to do it an impressive feat. Just like Harden in a Rockets uniform, Green wasn’t necessarily healthy throughout the entire year.</p><p>For example, he played through a thumb injury in March, which happened to be the best month of his NBA career. Moreover, the 22-year old suffered a leg injury on the 81st game of the season, yet he still came back out to play for Game 82. Head coach Ime Udoka <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/rockets/article/houston-rockets-jalen-green-durability-19401335.php">was certainly impressed</a> with Green’s durability, via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.</p><p>“A guy playing heavy minutes, but not only that, a young guy, especially in this day and age when guys sit out with pretty much anything,” Udoka said. “Not only the fact that he’s playing a lot of minutes but is an … integral part of our team. Just the mentality of some of the young guys today to sit out with any nick and knack. His playing through stuff has been great, especially with the struggles he had early.”</p><p>Even if he struggled for over half the season, Udoka still had confidence in his young shooting guard. The fact that Green has done this while driving to the basket on a daily basis, taking multiple hits each time and still getting back up to do it again is incredible to see.</p><h2><b>Jalen Green’s consistency matches durability</b></h2><p>During the past few seasons, Green and the Rockets played with little to no impact due to growing rebuild pains, a poorly constructed roster, and a coach unfit to rule. The complete overhaul of the following seasons with a new coach in Udoka coupled with key veteran signings were integral to Green’s development coming into his third season.</p><p>His overall averages of 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 42.3% shooting across an eighty-two game season doesn’t dictate the entire story. Even during the rather tumultuous adjustment period that lasted four months, Green continued to battle, and came alive after the All-Star break.</p><p>From March towards the end of the season, Green averaged 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 23 games. Although his production dipped in April, that’s due to NBA teams making it more of a priority to defend him on the perimeter.</p><p>Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving <a href="https://twitter.com/BigSargeSportz/status/1774786380666704026">said it best</a> on his dramatic improvement, praising for the young rising star.</p><p>“The maturity he has shown over these past two months are tremendous and I am nothing short of proud of him as a big brother,” Irving said.</p><p>During the majority of the regular season, Green had to find a way to perform efficiently on the floor. If we’re being honest, it wasn’t pretty. There was a period of time where Rockets fans wanted completely out of the rotation. But was he able to put on a Rockets uniform day in and day out? Absolutely. And that’s hard to do.</p><h2><b>Green’s next step </b></h2><p>Now that he’s finally achieved both for the most part, he’s got another hurdle to overcome, and that is reliability. This should be his goal in the offseason.</p><p>“Compared to other years my first two years were pretty rough we weren’t even looking at being .500 at the end of the season,” Green muttered, following the last game of the season. “That was one of my goals this year. We talked about in the locker room. I said 44 wins but we got 41 and I think I think it’s awesome. It shows that next year we have a shot to be in the playoffs.”</p><p>Playing all 82 games is a great accomplishment, especially in this modern NBA. Will Green play an entire season again? Maybe. At just 22, if he matches consistency with his durability similar to Harden before him for an entire season, then the Rockets could be one of the best young teams in the NBA next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
19.1	4.7	2.6	0.3	1.0

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
19.1	4.7	2.6	0.3	1.0

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