Rockets player who will shock NBA with breakout 2024-25 season

Green is an electrifying player with a style that is reminiscent of some of the all-time greats. His high-flying athleticism and the way he floats through the air for graceful layups or powerful dunks is reminiscent of legends such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

It may sound surreal, but Green’s ability to take off far from the paint, hang in the air, split defenders, and even make adjustments to his release, all without hitting the ground, will remind older fans of Jordan’s heyday.

While this style of play and unique ability is certainly visually appealing, it’s much more important than that. In addition to helping Green show up consistently on highlight reels, his ability to hover in the air makes him more effective.

He’s able to jump at the same time as his defender and wait for the defender to come back down to earth. That leaves Green with a clean look at the basket more often than not. The longer that he’s able to hang in the air, the more time he has to adjust his shot to find the perfect look and avoid potential blockers.

Green’s lethal finishing ability also makes him more effective as a shooter. The defense has less margin for error once Green gets into the paint, which means they must make it a priority to keep him away from the rim in the first place.

The best way for defenses to do this is by giving Green more space out on the perimeter, which makes it harder for him to blow by defenders and gives the defense more time to react. However, giving the young star space to work on the outside comes with its own set of risks.

Green is willing to pull up for outside shots and he’s more than comfortable operating in the mid-range and hunting jumpers instead of going all the way to the rim. As Green continues to improve as a shooter, it will become even more dangerous for defenses to surrender extra space for the young guard to confidently step into jump shots.

Green is a human highlight reel

In large part because of his immense physical ability, Green is a walking highlight reel. He just hasn’t been able to quite harness his show-stopping talent and flair for the dramatic in order to fully unleash his ability as an all-around player.

That is the next step in Green’s development, and there is reason to believe that this is the year he will make the leap from YouTube and SportsCenter Top-10 star to championship-caliber franchise player. Green has already achieved the hardest part of being a franchise player: he’s proven he has the talent to thrive and put the team on his back.

Now, the next steps are gaining experience, being receptive to coaching, and playing smarter rather than just harder. If the former G-League standout can do these three things, he’ll be in a great position to make the leap toward superstardom this year.

Green can improve his efficiency and playmaking

In order to become a true superstar, what Green really needs to do is improve his efficiency. Across the league, players who can put up juicy stat lines every so often are a dime a dozen. What makes a player special is when he can not only put up big numbers with consistency but can do so efficiently. Most NBA players are good enough to score 30 points on any given night if they take 45 shots.

That’s not good basketball, though, because a team only has a limited number of possessions per game, and the goal is to score as many points within those possessions as possible. One player who takes an outsized number of shots could rack up impressive counting stats while ultimately hurting his team.

Green has proven his ability to score, now he just has to work on his efficiency. He can accomplish this by improving his shot selection, and knowing when to press the issue versus when to pass the ball to a teammate with a better look.

If he can keep his scoring touch while improving his efficiency, Green will make the leap to superstardom. That could come as early as this year, and if it does, the Rockets could find themselves competing among the top teams in the league to win the NBA Finals.