A lot has changed for Jalen Green over a matter of months. Right before the season, he landed a three-year $106 million extension with the Houston Rockets. In hindsight, Sengun, a rookie who entered with him, found a more lucrative deal from the franchise. But even though the Rockets may be reserving their commitment, Green’s intentions are clear. With a competent unit formed in Houston, the hoopster wants to win. And his desire has intensified since a landmark moment in his life.

On May 17, he welcomed his daughter, a first child with his longtime girlfriend Draya Michele. The birth of his daughter changed the outlook that Jalen Green held toward everything. As a rookie on a bottom-feeding Rockets team, there was room for experimenting and errors. But now, as the franchise is looking to gravitate to winning ways, his daughter is acting as a source of inspiration for Green.

“Fatherhood gave him something extra to work for. He’s working for someone outside of himself now. That will take him to another stage in life,” his father said, recognizing the switch within the 22-year-old.

The journey hasn’t been easy to adapt to by any means. In his first three years, Jalen Green had to field scrutiny because of his limited participation on defense and erratic offensive contributions. Similarly, off-the-court, even Michele had to defend herself recently when cheating allegations were raised by Gilbert Arenas’ former beau. “I didn’t mess with anyone’s husband. Let’s be clear that no one was married. Let’s also be clear that the interactions I had with him were years before I was on the show…” replied Draya Michele.

Draya was Arenas’ ex-Laura Govan’s co-star on the reality show Basketball Wives LA. Govan had claimed that she learned about the alleged relationship between the hoops analyst and Michele when she reportedly discovered papers that suggested Gilbert had paid her $25k and brought her to LA. So, when Michele posted a series of Instagram stories to defend herself, she referred to this ‘show’.

But for both, Jalen Green and Draya Michele, the advent of their daughter has seemingly allowed them to progress to a mature stage of their life. At least for the hoopster, who is willing to take up greater responsibilities.

“I have a family now. I’m not a rookie anymore. Coming into the league, it was a little different, especially with the Rockets organization. We were losing and in a rebuild. Now, we’ve found ourselves and the goals we’re trying to achieve. With that comes more responsibility and maturity — how you carry yourself as an NBA player, a professional,” Jalen Green told The Athletic.

And the results are on display this season as Green looks the lead the Rockets in the wake of their competitive hopes.

Jalen Green has shown immense improvements in his game

With a 6’7″ wingspan and rapid movements, Jalen Green always had to tools to become an elite defender. However, the issue was with his willingness to do so. As an explosive athlete, the yearning to score often led to some reckless decision-making. But this season, with a strong leader in Ime Udoka at the helm and a complementing roster, there is an aim that the dazzling guard is chasing.

In eight games thus far, Green is leading the Rockets with 22.6 points per game. His dedication in the offseason is also evident in his stark shooting improvement. Until now, the Rockets guard had yet to find any consistency with his three-point shooting. But this year, he is shooting nearly 39% on close to 10 attempts per game, a revolutionary improvement from last season’s 33%!

However, the most noticeable improvement of his has come through his defensive utility. Currently, Jalen Green is recording a 109.7 defensive rating, the best of his career. Furthermore, in the system of heavy switching, the hoopster has honed the art of being a point-of-attack defender. In 34 possessions of defending the ball handler, the 22-year-old is only allowing 0.71 points per possession.

The tenacity ranks in the 75.6 percentile in the NBA. His activity also propelled the Rockets to have a daunting defensive unit with the likes of Fred VanVleet and Dillion Brooks utilizing their experience to limit oppositions to just 106.8 points, the 3rd least in the NBA.

It takes one spark to inspire improvement. And for Jalen Green, his family is pushing him to attain his ceiling and help Houston become great again. Do you think he can be a candidate for MIP this season? Let us know your views in the comments below.