Houston Rockets: Jalen Green Must Step Up

The Houston Rockets fell, 95-85, in the first game of their NBA Playoffs to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night. Jalen Green underperformed, shooting 3-for-15 from the field and scoring only seven points in 31 minutes. If Houston is to have a shot at advancing, he must play better going forward in this series.

Green unlocks the Rockets as a whole when he performs well. The team is better when he plays at his best, and that's what Houston needs from him in order to advance to Round 2. This is his first playoff series in his career, but that doesn't mean that he will under perform throughout.

After Game 1, Green told the media, "I've got to be better." The fourth-year shooting guard has to prove himself in the rest of the playoffs, and he knows that he has to play better.

Throughout this series, Green will need to find a glimpse of his regular season production — 21 points on 42% shooting. He must also find ways to get out of the Warriors' defensive traps whether that's by teammates screening or passing out to teammates.

Golden State's gameplan in Game 1 was to take Green out of the game, even if he was on the floor, and that will most likely be their goal for the rest of the series. They don't want him to get hot and start shooting well, because it will carry on for the rest of the game and potentially round. Houston needs to do a better job of screening so he can get open for shots, whether it is on-ball or off-ball.

As long as he does not lose his confidence, and he keeps shooting the ball, he should play better in the series. Confidence is key for Green, and once he gets hot, he will stay hot. He just needs to get good looks and make those shots without backing down from the playoff atmosphere, especially against this tough Warriors team.

Houston's guard has historically had numbers that are lower than average for his career against Golden State. He needs to break that and play better against them in this series and in his career. He has to be the reason the Rockets win this series.