#2 Jalen Green – Guard – G-League Ignite
Not many people know about Jalen Green since he decided to skip going to college and was one of the young talents that helped form Team Ignite in the G-League this year, but man can this kid play! Standing about 6’6”, Green is one of the youngest players in the 2021 NBA Draft class, but is arguably the most athletic player among them.
In the G-League, Jalen Green mainly acted as his team’s primary ball-handler, but he has the ability to play on or off-the-ball, which will likely result in him being a shooting guard in the NBA. Not only does the young guard play well above the rim, but he’s outside shooting is also something that has impressed a lot of scouts over the months.
In 15 G-League games this year, Jalen Green averaged 17.9 points per game and shot 36.5% from three-point range. He is a really good playmaker, but because of his high motor and score-first mentality, he can be turnover prone at times. This is an easy fix though, especially if he is not the one having the ball up the court every possession.
An easy comparison for Jalen Green just based on size and athleticism is this past year’s #1 overall pick Anthony Edwards. Green is probably a better overall athlete than Edwards, but they both share that mindset that they can score against anybody they play and they are always aggressive in their pursuit to score.
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This is exactly the kind of player the Houston Rockets need in their system. He has the “it” factor they need to find with this No. 2 overall pick and by adding Jalen Green, the Rockets have their next young superstar that they can build around.
Everything about this kid screams “All-Star” and in today’s league where athleticism is ranked so highly, Jalen Green is going to be successful wherever he ends up. Passing up on Jalen Green here with the second overall pick could be something the Rockets look back on and regret as a franchise down the road.
