However, many will argue that the series should have never been extended to seven games, let alone the Warriors coming out on top<\/a>. After all, the Rockets were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n A key reason behind the Rockets\u2019 demise<\/a> was the underwhelming performance of fourth-year guard Jalen Green<\/a>. Many are even urging the Rockets to part ways with the 23-year-old in the offseason.<\/p>\n There is no doubt that Green struggled to get going throughout the series<\/a>, including the crucial Game 7 matchup between the two sides.<\/p>\n After all, Green was restricted to just 8 points on an underwhelming 3-of-8 shooting display. Despite the poor performance, former NBA player Lou Williams<\/a> wants fans to be patient with Green.<\/p>\n Williams cited the example of a young Kobe Bryant<\/a> and how the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>\u2018 patience ultimately helped the franchise win five NBA Championships over a span of 20 years.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard the talks about them moving him. The only way you consider moving a guy like Jalen Green is if you have a real chance at getting a Ja Morant or a Kevin Durant or one of these guys what are obvious franchise-changers. <\/p>\n \u201cOther than that, you stay put. You hold your cards where you are. You have a nice young nucleus. Granted, he did struggle in these playoffs, but it was his first introduction,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cYou know, imagine if the Lakers turned their backs on Kobe when he played how he played against the Utah Jazz when he was such a young player.\u201d<\/p>\n While Bryant is often viewed as one of the best playoff performers of all time, he had a terrible outing during the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals vs the Utah Jazz<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Mamba infamously had four airballs in a span of just five minutes. Today, however, fans remember his other achievements more fondly than his terrible introduction to the world in the postseason.<\/p>\n “Imagine if the Lakers turned their back on Kobe when he played how he played against the Utah Jazz when he was such a young player\u2026there’s not a lot of Jalen Green’s laying around.”@TeamLou23<\/a> says the Rockets should NOT trade Green\u2026unless it’s for KD or Ja Morant \ud83d\udc40 pic.twitter.com\/zaVmWSwmHN<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 5, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n View Tweet<\/p>\n Jalen Green\u2019s numbers vs Golden State Warriors<\/p>\n Despite enjoying a good spell in the regular season, averaging 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game, Green never got off in the playoffs.<\/p>\n Sure, he played and started in all seven games of the series, but Green\u2019s performances did more harm than good to the Rockets<\/a>.<\/p>\n The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft put up just 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in the opening round.<\/p>\n However, the biggest complaint that fans had about his game was his terrible shooting. Green shot just 37.2% from the field and a terrible 29.5% from the three-point line.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2213129163-894x627.jpg\")
Photo by Ezra Shaw\/Getty ImagesLou Williams defends Jalen Green with Kobe Bryant\u2019s example<\/p>\n