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About Jalen Green
• Jalen Green is a lanky, exceptionally athletic guard whose improvement as a shot-maker shined for stretches during his season with the inaugural G League Ignite team. Emerging as one of the top prospects in the high school class of 2020 early in his career thanks to his blend of explosiveness and upside as a scorer, Green earned gold medals at the 2017 FIBA U16 Americas Championship, 2018 FIBA U17 World Championship, and 2019 FIBA U19 World Championship before capping his prep career at Prolific Prep Academy (CA) with McDonald’s All-American honors. Opting to become the first player ever to join the G League Ignite instead of playing a year of college basketball, the California native weathered uncharted waters last season. Despite the unique circumstances, he averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in the bubble to key Head Coach Brian Shaw’s team to a postseason appearance.
• Listed at 6-foot-6 with a wiry 178-pound frame to go along with a 6-foot-7 wingspan, Green has good size for a shooting guard. Even if lacks a degree of physical strength, his unique combination of speed and effortless explosiveness has long made him an electric finisher in the open floor and an increasingly dynamic shot creator as his floor game has matured in recent years.
• Playing both on and off the ball alongside veteran NBA points guards Bobby Brown and Jarrett Jack, Green nonetheless had significant freedom to look for his own shot off the dribble serving as the Ignite’s first option. While his lack of physicality played against him in spots, he gained experience executing in a pro-style offense, created separation impressively with his first step, and showed the ability to make pull-up 3’s with solid consistency and sharp footwork. Thriving in transition thanks to his athleticism and instincts but leaning on his pull-up jump shot in the half court, Green made clear strides as a scorer in his first season at the professional level, but still has significant upside as his frame and game mature.
• Learning on the job defensively in a shortened season, Green had some solid stretches against more seasoned competition. While he gave up strength in many matchups defending both guard spots and his consistency remains a work in progress, his quickness was a factor on the ball and in the passing lanes.
Advanced Stats
• Green’s explosiveness translated seamlessly to from high school level to the professional ranks. Averaging 1.38 points per Transition possession [96th percentile], his speed filling lanes, athleticism to catch lobs, and ability to change speeds and find an angle against scrambling defenses pushing the ball himself made him one of the G League’s most efficient open court scorers.
• In the half court, Green did much of his damage off the dribble operating out of quick-hitters, getting an opportunity to create out of ball screens as a secondary ball handler, and leaning pretty heavily on his ability to create one-on-one. Possessing a tremendous first step and the footwork to get to his pull-up in a variety of ways, Green had no trouble creating separation against more mature defenders. Scoring 0.92 points per jump shot in the half court [48th percentile], he showed improvement as a perimeter threat from his prep days which was most apparent when he was rising into deep jumpers off hang dribbles and step backs. Making open set shots at a strong rate but finding mixed results in the midrange and against effective closeouts, the 19-year-old guard made obvious progress with his mechanics and showed the ability to put points on the board routinely when he found his range, but still has plenty of room to grow as a perimeter scorer.
• Averaging 1.20 points per shot around the rim [62nd percentile], Green finished consistently inside, but did not put a lot of pressure on the rim as he created more shots in the midrange than he did in close in the half court. As he gets stronger and more reliable from the perimeter, he has some room to evolve as a slasher.
• Creating more as a passer some nights than others, Green has room to tighten up his handle and decision-making operating out of ball screens. While he is still learning to play with pace and manipulate defenses, his athleticism and budding talent as a perimeter scorer shined at times as a rookie in the G League.
Defensive Analysis
• Green possesses solid tools as a defender, but faced a steeper learning curve defensively than he did offensively in the G League. With the quickness and dimensions to hold his own at both guard spots as he matures, he showed more consistent energy last season than he did at the prep level but is still learning how to deal with physicality and stay disciplined possession-to-possession.
— Profile by Synergy Sports
