Ahead of his NBA playoff debut, Houston Rockets rising star shooting guard Jalen Green pledged to block out online distractions in a semi-cryptic Instagram story.
Jalen Green Vows To Take Social Media Break During 2025 NBA Playoffs
Green’s Rockets finished the 2024-25 NBA season second in the Western Conference (52-30), securing the franchise’s first postseason berth since 2020. The upstart team boasts a surplus of young talent, including star center Alperen Şengün and two-way wing Amen Thompson. Nevertheless, many are overlooking it due to its inexperience.
Houston is matched up against a seventh-seeded Golden State Warriors team with significantly more playoff pedigree. Warriors superstar point guard Stephen Curry and star forward Draymond Green are each four-time NBA champions. Meanwhile, their new co-star, Jimmy Butler III, is a two-time NBA Finalist.
However, Green appears ready for the challenge. On Thursday, the fourth-year player shared a text-based Instagram story highlighting his no-nonsense postseason approach. In the social media post, he cited his desire to avoid dealing with discourse about his girlfriend, Draya Michele.
“Leave my girl out it i’m deactivating my shi for playoffs,” Green wrote.
Green and Michele have been romantically involved since August 2023 and have one daughter together. While they’ve mostly kept their relationship low-key, they’ve faced frequent criticism for their 17-year age gap (23 vs. 40). Though it’s unclear if that’s what Green, who boasts 2.4 million Instagram followers, was referencing.
Houston will host Golden State for Game 1 of their first-round series on Sunday at Toyota Center. Given the Rockets’ depth and athleticism, and the Warriors’ star power and experience, many are projecting the contrasting squads’ series to go the distance.
Green on Gearing Up for His First NBA Playoff Run
During an interview with the Houston Chronicle’s Danielle Lerner on Tuesday, Green touched on the significance of making his first playoff appearance. The 2021 No. 2 draft pick called it a dream come true after enduring three straight seasons finishing 11th or worse in the West.
“This is what I’ve dreamed about since I got in the league,” Green said. “Really, since I was young. But just last year, seeing the vision, this is what I’ve been dreaming about. So everything’s been a lot more serious.”
Green added that Houston has demonstrated that it’s a legitimate threat in the cutthroat West.
“It was about the way we win,” Green said. “We all got that feeling that we was actually fighting for something, and we ain’t really had that feeling before.”
Green suited up in all 82 regular-season outings for the second consecutive campaign, leading the Rockets in scoring (21.0 points per game). He will look to carry over his offensive success to the postseason, where he will likely face ramped-up defensive coverages.