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For Team Ignite head coach Brian Shaw, Jalen Green proved worthy of all the hype during his stint in the NBA G League this year.
Green, who is of Filipino heritage, was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2020, but chose to skip college to play in the G League. He took advantage of the NBA’s career path program, receiving training both on and off the court to prepare for his future NBA career.
The 19-year-old Green eventually joined other top prospects, including Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix and Isaiah Todd. He emerged as Ignite’s top scorer in the G League, scoring 17.9 points per game on 61.3% actual shooting along with 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. (Actual shooting percentage takes into account field goals, three-point field goals, and free throws.)
“He has a way, or a knack, to figure it out,” Shaw said of Green after Ignite’s season ended Monday with a 127-102 loss to the Raptors 905 in the playoffs.
This became apparent over the course of the season, Shaw said, as Green learned to deal with the different types of defenses thrown at him by rival G League teams. The coach noted that the Fil-American guard was generally the focus of his opponent’s defense and scouting report, and other teams sent their best defenders against Green.
“The guys I’ve been with, the Paul Georges, the Kobe Bryants, guys so they were also the target of the best defensive players on the other team and their scouting report, they found a way to do it,” he added. Shaw said.
“I’m seeing that same kind of thing in him, discovering it when you’re the target of the defense and his scouting report,” he added.
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While he was reluctant to make a direct comparison between Green and the late, great Bryant and seven-time All-Star George, Shaw said there are some similarities.
“Those names that I threw, I said Paul George, I said Kobe Bryant. Without making comparisons with them, he has the same kind of things that they have, that they had,” he said.
After working with Green since August 2020 and watching his development in the G League bubble, Shaw predicts that the sky is the limit for the shooting guard.
“He’s 19 and he’s only going to get better, and his attitude towards the game is what it should be,” he said.
“The dedication he puts in, working on his body, trying to get stronger, watching movies, asking questions. Taking care of your body after games and on days off, continuing to lift weights and stretching, and the like. The mindfulness you practice, that sort of thing is really ripe for someone who is 19, just turned 19. And, in terms of that, if he continues down the road, the sky is the limit for him. “he added.
Green saved his best effort for his final game, when he scored 30 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the loss to Raptors 905. It wasn’t enough, especially with Ignite missing the injured Kuminga, but Green’s effort was indicative of his potential.
“He got it going,” Shaw said of his player. “And I asked him a couple of times in the second half: Was he tired, did he need to go out? He said no, he wanted to stay.”
“I think it really showed what it’s all about. Throughout this entire season, he’s been able to figure it out on the fly, what he needs to do, how can he be effective, how to put pressure on defense,” he said. additional.
The coach noted that Green put together a complete game against a tough opponent, as the Raptors 905 were the top seeds in the playoffs. Green made 11 of his 20 shots and posted a career-high assists while also playing solid defense.
“It showed why he’s that guy,” Shaw said. “We were depressed, but he never gave up.”
“It just showed why he is worthy of all the praise and all the publicity he gets.”
