I would be careful about writing him off yet. Nobody has had to adjust more to their new role in the offense than Jalen Green. He’s already much better on defense than last year, and his playmaking has taken a good leap. There’s reason to believe in him.
Now, he unquestionably has to be better at some things right now. Turnovers, missed layups, and missed free throws are killing us. He can fix those things immediately, and he’ll be much better. That’s on nobody but him.
You also have to remember how young he is and who he played with before this year. “But wait, u/gregyo,” you might be thinking, “Sengun is the same age and was in the same situation!” Yes, that’s true, however, I think that speaks to how special Sengun is. Sengun is one of the highest IQ players in the league. That’s not a reflection on Jalen.
He might not take that all star leap this year, but I’d be hesitant to write him off so soon into this year.
When the Rockets turned into the path of Win Now mode, Jabari and Jalen couldn’t adapt perfectly because they were like “Yeah, we are 2nd and 3rd pick, no one can touch us for at least 3-4 years”, which usually means 5 years guarantee of contract in an average team, but now it ain’t so, life is hard, truth is harsh, now you must earn your spot or gonna lose it in very soon. So man up and play, and stay alive. That’s so simple. This is the new hierarchy.
We’re not in true “win now” mode. We’re just trying to be a good competitive team. True win now mode is basically trade all the young guys minus Sengun for the best win now players you can get regardless of age and go all in.
ok, let’s say Win Soon mode for you. No need to argue for the description. More important is that time could be ticking for high draft picks sooner than expected if they don’t prove something this year.
We’re not in true “win now” mode. We’re just trying to be a good competitive team. True win now mode is basically trade all the young guys minus Sengun for the best win now players you can get regardless of age and go all in.