As the Houston Rockets concluded practice on Tuesday. There was one player who wandered off and found a basketball to shoot on a side goal.

You could tell that this young man was in his zone as he casually shot at the basket talking and singing to himself as if he was the only person in the gym at the time.

Some might assume that I am talking about a veteran player on the team. But that is not the case. The young man I am speaking of is rookie shooting guard Jalen Green. He will make his NBA regular-season debut on Wednesday as the Rockets take on the Minnesota Timberwolves to open the season.

“I am excited and nervous,” said Green. “We are in the NBA now. We have fans, we are at the highest-level competing, so it should be fun. This is what we worked, what I worked for to get to this moment.”

Green, 19, was selected No. 2 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Rockets after spending one season in the G-League where he averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists a game.

After practice, Green answered if he felt any pressure on being taken so high in the draft.

“It’s just basketball at the end of the day,” he responded. “Sometimes, I do feel that pressure a little bit. I feel like I have to come out and be perfect. But I have to remember that it is basketball. The game I love, and I want to stay in love with it.”

Tip-off for the Houston Rockets will be 7 p.m. on Wednesday.