“Just talking. He can’t really do much of anything else, so talking is his only way.” This was a confident Jalen Green describing his interaction with Draymond Green. Apart from the game 2 exploits, the Rockets guard’s shooting contribution is very similar to that of the Warriors forward. So, Charles Barkley, who previously advised the 23-year-old, after game 4, there was no advice but staunch criticism.

“I’m perplexed about this Jaylen Green situation.” During the recent broadcast of Inside the NBA, Chuck couldn’t wait to talk about the California native. Host Ernie Johnson requested to wait after the highlights were done. And once Charles Barkley got the open floor, he did not miss. “I said before the game before, he can become a great player, and Ime talked about it. You got to do other stuff to help the team. Like he gets in a fog when he’s not scoring, and he just he’s just out.”

The Rockets lost, 109-106, and are now staring at the brink of defeat with the series 3-1. The only game that they won, Green scored 38 points on 52 FG% and 44% from beyond the arc. But without the scoring, he looks like a shadow of himself, which Charles Barkley criticized. “Think about that, this is a guy who we were bragging about all season, said it’s going to be close on him making all-star team. He’s had single digits, three out of four. First of all, he had 38 in one game, and he’s had single digits in the other three games.”

Apart from scoring 38 in game 2, his stats have been his 7 points in the opener, 9 points in game 3, and 8 points in the latest defeat. This is similar to Draymond Green’s contribution of 6.3 points per game in this series. Not a good look for the 25-year-old who called out the 4x NBA champion. Even though Ernie Johnson tried to advocate on behalf of the Rockets’ shooting guard, citing playoff inexperience, Charles Barkley was not having it.

“That cannot happen,” were the strong words of Chuck. After the inconsistent performance, even some of the Houston fan base called for the trade of the young star. In fact, even Stephen A. Smith advised the same.

Stephen A Smith thinks Jalen Green is plotting his own way out

ESPN veteran’s comments were after game 3, inconsistencies of the Rockets’ shooting guard. The issues of scoring have been prevalent even before the series against the Warriors. In the last 3 games of the regular season, Jalen Green managed single-digit scores of 2, 7, and 9. That’s why Stephen A. Smith said, “Jalen Green — young talent no doubt about it — you do understand you’re playing your way out of Houston, right? You do understand that?”

The calls for improvement were before Game 3 from the Chuckster. The 76ers legend called Green “awful” for Game 1 debacle and “fantastic” for Game 2 heroics. Despite this, the key issue remains for the 25-year-old to be consistent. “He showed up and played like he’s supposed to play… But he’s got to find a way. You can’t go 38 and 7.” Charles Barkley did praise the guard, but with a precaution. “He’s got too much talent to be that up and down.”

Because of the talent and underperformance, the calls for trade are at their highest. The only thing for Jalen Green to consider right now is to show up and show out in Game 5. It’s a do-or-die game, and after the number 2 rankings in the West, bowing out in the first round won’t be the right ending for the Rockets. Which will lead to questions around the young squad and whether any better player can steer the ship.