LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — When Jalen Green agreed to participate in a new professional pathway program in the NBA G League, the former five-star prospect may have inadvertently put a giant target on his back.
But, that isn’t anything new for the 19-year-old, who is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2021 NBA draft.
Of course, Green was one of the first prospects to commit to playing in the NBA G League. He chose the professional route over established college programs, such as Memphis, Auburn and Kentucky. Once Green was onboard, the team added five other high-profile high school prospects, including Jonathan Kuminga, Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix.
The team, which is not affiliated with an NBA franchise, was originally set to play 12-14 games against existing G League teams and train in Walnut Creek, California, under the direction of Brian Shaw. However, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the team, which was eventually named the Ignite, is instead among the teams playing in the bubble at the Wide World of Sports Complex.
The Ignite kicked off the season on Feb. 17 and have posted a perfect 4-0 record to this point. Prior to beginning the season, Shaw realized that Green would be targeted by opposing players given his status as one of the next up-and-coming prospects.
I’ll tell you this, all of the teams, just from being here, and having conversations with players on other teams, as well as coaches from other teams, everybody is gunning for him because of the attention he has gotten. I just want him to have fun and play the game. He is competitive and he will figure it out.
In addition to the six prospects on the Ignite, the team also signed NBA veterans like Jarrett Jack, Amir Johnson and Bobby Brown among others to help mentor the players. The vets have given the young players on the roster plenty of advice on what they can expect throughout the season.
In fact, Jack saw that Green was targeted in their first game of the season.
I was talking to Jalen, I said, ‘Man, the very first play they went at you, huh?’ He said, ‘Man, unbelievable! They cut right across my face, I was kind of surprised.’ I said, ‘Look, man. The one thing, in this league, what people will do all of the time. They are looking around (for the rookies).’
Those are the things that they are going to have to understand, especially in these scenarios. A lot of these guys feel like the jobs that they want, these kids are kind of given those opportunities and they want to come out here the best they can and compete alongside them.
By all accounts, Green has handled the spotlight very well.
Through the first four games, Green leads the Ignite in scoring, averaging 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, two assists and 1.3 steals. He struggled a bit in his debut, scoring 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, but has bounced back and has scored at least 21 points in each of his next three outings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Op7bjHdirA
While Green will continue to get opposing teams’ best efforts each game this season, he is more concerned with his development and helping his team win some games.
“I’m not really too worried about that,” Green said. “I feel like I’ve been targeted my whole life in this basketball world so I’m kind of used to it. The main thing I’m focusing on right now is winning as a team and just trying to get better every day.”
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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