A quick chat with Gerald Green on his first year as a NBA coach

Gerald Green is enjoying his time in player development for the Houston Rockets. After playing 13 years in the NBA, Green looks content and happy to be around Jalen Green and the younger Rockets. Green was a proven high flyer and shooter while in the NBA. In my honest opinion, Gerald being around Jalen will be good because of the sharable offensive traits.

Green was a proven veteran with great experience and still looks in great shape as a coach. There have been times when he has matched up with Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. in practice for one-on-one purposes, as that allows those two to become better in offensive situations. Green will usually do routine shooting in his spare time if he isn’t working with players. He’ll even do certain conditioning workouts for himself and challenge other coaches on the player development staff.

After his shooting, I stopped Green for a quick interview so I can ask how his season is as a coach is going, what it’s like to be a mentor to Green, and what the city of Houston means to him, as he attended Gulf Shore high school. He averaged 33 points per game there, which led him to attend Oklahoma St University. Green was also in the McDonalds All-American game. Since Green and Jalen Green are becoming close, he could give him tips on the dunk contest, as he was a participant in the high school and multiple NBA Dunk contests.

Zach Allen: How have you liked this season as a coach? And what have seen from guys like Jalen Green? He just put a post of you on Instagram.

Gerald Green: Man, it feels good to be coaching him [Green] and feels good to be coaching these young guys, and they have a lot of potential. Jalen has so much upside. Maybe one day he can be the face of this franchise and the NBA. He definitely has to put the work in, and I think he is willing to do it. He has been grinding his ass off. He has been doing things a rookie should do by being a sponge. I’m really excited for his future.

Memory wise, you got the job as a coach, but do you ever get memories like “I was here with P.J. Tucker and James Harden”?

All the time. All the time. Obviously, this is home. This is where I was almost closest to winning a ring. So, it always brings memories every time.

Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images

What does the city of Houston mean to you?

This is everything. This is home for me. I sleep, shit, eat, and bleed Houston, so you know what I mean. I’m all Houston. I love my last name Green, but if I could change it, I’d change it to Houston. That’s how much I am Houston. I’m a Green for life for sure.

You see all these guys getting these 10-day contract. You ever think “I retired at the wrong time”? Because you look an excellent shape?

I can still hoop for sure. I can defiantly can still hoop for sure. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d love to hoop. We’ll see. You’ll never know. I’m always up for the challenge. I loved the opportunity and will never take it for granted. I’m a hooper.

Hopefully, Green continues to grow within the hierarchy of coaching and continues to challenge younger players on the Rockets, as the upside is there.