Longtime NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith has seen his share of star players over decades covering the league. So when he was asked recently on ESPN’s “First Take” to predict who would become the better professional player between the top two rookies from the 2021 draft class, Smith’s comments drew plenty of attention, as they often do.
It’s not merely that Smith chose Jalen Green, the No. 2 selection in the first round by the Houston Rockets, over top pick Cade Cunningham (of the Detroit Pistons). What’s most noteworthy is his rationale in doing so: Smith says he sees something special in Green’s character.
Among his extended comments:
I look for three things. Obviously, I’m looking for your size and athleticism. I’m looking for whether or not you have a perimeter shot, because in today’s game that truly does matter.
The other thing I’m looking for is a want it, a go-get-it mentality. I look at Jalen Green, when he gets on the court and competes, I see a guy that seems to have a little something extra, that you don’t teach. Not just talent-wise, but he wants it bad. And he doesn’t want to just be good and win. He wants to be the reason you win. He wants to be a star.
We hear a lot of people say that, but we don’t see it when we’re watching them. I see that when I watch Jalen Green.
“When you’re evaluating talent, your mindset is a huge deal,” Smith says of Green, a supremely athletic 6-foot-6 guard who is only 19 years old.
“How bad do you want it? Jalen Green seems to be that kind of guy, and that’s what I’m noticing.”
In three summer league games, Green averaged 20.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 24.1 minutes and produced shooting percentages of 51.4% overall, 52.6% on 3-pointers and 92.9% on free throws. He’s expected to miss Houston’s final two games due to a sore hamstring, so the next time fans are likely to see Green on the court is when the Rockets begin training camp for the 2021-22 season in late September.
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