The Houston Rockets have taken flight and are the hottest team in the NBA right now, with eight straight wins. Jalen Green has been the biggest part of that run.
The 2021 second-overall pick is on a tear this month, averaging 34.4 in their last five games.
He made incredible alley-oop dunks, glided past defenders with ease, and converts look away three-pointers.
His team lost just once in 11 games in March, keeping hopes for a play-in spot alive.
They are now in 11th spot behind the Golden State Warriors.
At 35-35, the Rockets could sneak in for the next phase of the season if their incredible run continues.
Jalen Greens's March stats were incredible. His coach, Ime Udoka, classified him as among the best high-level scorers he's seen.
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Udoka, in his first year as head coach of the Rockets, knows the adjustments his young players need to make under his management.
He thought Green was adjusting himself well to the system.
"I'm proud of the way he fought through some adversity," Udoka said after their latest win against the Utah Jazz.
"It's not easy with a newer team and some different demands from a coaching staff and doing different things to always stay the course and fight through it. And he's done that. Great to see him come out on the other side."
Jalen Green's stats and Player of the Month chances
Green torched the Utah Jazz with his 41 points on Saturday. He sat out most of the fourth quarter as the game was decided early.
Before that, he recorded 26 points in a heated match with the Chicago Bulls and tied his career-high 42 points during a visit to the Washington Wizards. He also had 26 and 37 two games prior.
Green's confidence in his ability is sky-high right now. He also got a green light to shoot more, as he has made at least 20 field goals in those five games.
His incredible run comes as the team deals with injuries to Alfred Sengun, Cam Whitmore, and Tari Eason.
Green has put the league on notice with his scoring ability and stellar plays. Can he win his first-ever Player of the Month Award?
Jalen Green is currently the favourite for Western Conference Player of the Month.
— Steven Adams Stats (@funakistats) March 22, 2024
If he goes on to receive it, it will break a 5-season, 23-month streak of WC Player of the Month awards going to All-NBA players.
The last 23 WCPoMs have been repeat awarded to only 9 players……
The award is not that kind to players with no All-NBA citation or an NBA All-Star appearance.
The last time the Player of the Month award was won by a non-All-NBA player was when Tobias Harris bagged it as part of the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018.
The numbers don't lie, though, for Green.
His on/off net rating in March is better than that of MVP candidates like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Doncic.
Denver Nuggets' Jokic and Oklahoma City Thunder's SGA are players who can challenge him for the award in the West, as their teams lost only twice this month.
However, Green appears to be the MVP for the month for the way he elevated his game and his team in the absence of key players and the importance of their run.
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