It was just a matter of time before some good team swooped in and picked up Jeff Green. His play with the Jazz was not very inspiring (what even happened there?), but anyone who saw what he did with the ‘Zards last season knew that he could still score the ball at a decent level.
Although, looking at the view counts for all those ‘Zards-era Green videos that I made (and it was really a lot of them), it appears that no one at all saw what he did with the ‘Zards last season. Doing so would’ve required them to either a.) watch regular-season ‘Zards games or b.) watch Jeff Green highlights on YouTube. And there simply aren’t very many people who fall into either category.
So now the Rockets have him. That makes a lot of sense, because what they need right now more than anything is actual NBA-caliber players to give real minutes to. They’ve been running some tight rotations lately, which is basically the opposite of what you want to do in the regular season. P.J. Tucker is going to be dead for sure by the time the playoffs start, and James Harden always fades a bit by the end due to overuse. Green can take some of those minutes! Can he play center? I bet he can! 6-8 is a totally reasonable size for a center if that center’s name is Montrezl Harrell.
17 points in his Rockets debut is sure to get Houston fans a little overexcited, but speaking as the voice of experience, this can be something that happens semi-consistently. If he gets regular minutes and has a defined role, he will score. Hopefully. And if he doesn’t, well, Harden and Westbrook are always willing to pick up the slack in the shot-taking department.