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The newly-formed NBA G League Ignite only began training at the end of August but five-star prospect Jalen Green has already made quite an impression on head coach Brian Shaw.
Green, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2020, signed with the Ignite, which was previously informally named the Select Team, in April. The NBA G League launched the program to serve as an alternative path for elite prospects wanting to play professionally and tapped Green as the face of the inaugural season.
The 18-year-old possesses a high-level blend of leaping ability and quickness on offense and thrives in isolation situations. He took home tournament MVP honors during the U17 World Cup in 2018, leading the United States to the gold medal averaging 15.7 points per game. Green is projected to be a top-five pick next year based on his potential.
Certainly, Green has the makings of being the next star player but, perhaps most important, he has shown a willingness to develop and train each day. Shaw praised Green for his work ethic and attitude during a recent interview with Marc Spears of The Undefeated.
He comes every day with that attitude that I’ve seen in some of the special young players that I’ve coached that get it right away. It’s like they don’t want to just make it to the league. They want to impact the team and make a place for themselves and be special. So, he’s always wanting to work.
I had to tell him [once] after I cut practice a little short … He said, ‘Coach, I want to be great.’ And I said, ‘You will be great. You keep that attitude but you also have to let your body rest sometimes and recover.’ He has that NBA bounce. … He has that ‘it’ factor that when you see it you say, ‘OK, I’m keeping an eye on this guy because he has a chance to be really special.’
The goal of Ignite is to provide the prospects with the necessary training and knowledge of the game to thrive at the next level and it appears as though that has been well received by the players. The team will eventually be filled with veteran players that will also help mentor the prospects.
Ignite, which is unaffiliated with any existing NBA G League franchise or NBA team, will participate in exhibition games against other NBA G League teams and international clubs and will play 10-12 games that won’t count against the standings.
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