rookie Ja would’ve already taken over this team and franchise long ago…there’d be no “Christian Wood or KPJr is taking away his touches”…he’d be the one dictating their touches and how much they get the ball he’d already be the leader of the team
I don't trash, I judge based upon what I see at this moment, doesn't mean he can't get better - but right now, he has a long way to go.....am disappointed his skills were not further along tbh. Doesn't mean I won't cheer for him as he improves, and doesn't mean I don't recognize improvement. It is really a matter of how people view him.....some are like......oooh he is going to be great.....I hope they are right....but at my age, have seen a lot of GONNA BE GREAT guys fall flat on their face more than actually made it to great. SO, for me, it is wait and see....and hope, but be realistic along the way. People don't like folks who are realistic saying stuff, they want to be sunshiney.....bah humbug to them. DD
I'm realistic and a student of the game I see greatness with this kid. I watch Kobe full games in 97 and I don't see much difference. I posted to my friend @saleem M Jordan with North Carolina in the championship game when he was 19....Greens age to start the season and I see little separation. I didn't jump when people said J R Ryder is the next MJ. Or when people said Oladilo while at Indian would be the next MJ. Or when people said Wiggins would be the next MJ....but I am saying and have said Green when be the next MJ-lite. I said that before the draft and I will say it again. Green will be the next MJ or Kobe-lite which is what Ja Morant is as well. I've linked an article before of the average weight of NBA by position. SG are now 190 pounds on the average. Once Green gets there people are going to be saying, "Oh, that's what ApacheEarrior envisioned prior to his draft selection
Ja is on another level mentally... And Green is in no way shape or form, more athletic than Ja .... Plus Rockets have too many wannabe playmakers for Green to maximize his abilities in the near future.
I have no idea how good Green can be. Right now he could turn into a guy like Jeremy Lamb, and he could turn into another great. It is astonishing how he has improved his defense in his short time in the league. It is jarring how bad his offense (and defense of course) have looked for long stretches. I didn‘t expect him to be so few involved in the offense - him just standing in the corner with the ball handler on the other side for long stretches. Now this may him just listening to the coaches or him being fine with taking a back seat. I don‘t know, if thats a knock against him. If he can get his 3pter to 38-40% (like he did in february), if he can find a way to draw fouls when he drives to the basket and finish through contact (or develope a floater), if he can tighten his handles and if he shows that killer instinct ‚give me the ball‘ that I expected from the start, then he will be a top player in the league. But he also may remain an inconsistent spark of the bench type player.
Ja Morant had TWO college seasons (including one offseason between, which is key for young players in terms of development) to get better. Jalen Green had one 15 game bubble season that was truncated. It's simply not the same situation. Can't judge Ja's rookie season against Jalen's.
I just hope that one day he becomes a replacement level NBA SG.... maybe even one day developing into a starting caliber NBA SG if I'm being optimistic.
I don't really think we can be comparing anyone to Kobe and Jordan based on what they do on the court. Those 2 are great because of what they were off the court. Both had an unhealthy obsession with basketball. They were both toxically competitive and would isolate others and sacrifice their personal lives on the road to greatness. If Kobe worked half has hard as he did he'd be nothing. You can make any connections you want on the court but Jalen hasn't appeared to be anything like that so far off the court.
There is literally nothing you know about Green's work ethic outside the court. This is pure conjecture on your part based off what? Him buying a grill?
If he was like Mike or Kobe we WOULD know. I'm not saying he isn't a hard worker but Kobe and MJ were so far from normal that it would be undeniable. I'm just saying that those guys should be excluded from any comparisons. There are legends who are normal human beings too just compare him to one of those.
Lmao, you know what Kobe did, he taught himself how to play the piano to impress Vanessa and played it rather well. He won an Oscar for producing animation. That is not something anybody can do, I know Royce White is trying to emulate it but he just fails at most things. There is no shame in saying Kobe's excellence cannot be attained. He is just one of those talents that could do multiple things well. Outside of basketball.
No one knew Kobe was going to be "Kobe" his first two years in the league and MJ wasn't even in the league at Green's age. He was in college. Obviously I don't think he'll ever reach anywhere close to that level but you don't have any clue about his work ethic.
No one knew they'd be great but their level of competitiveness and obsession were already there. That's the kind of **** you talk about in therapy. Like I said, this isn't to say that Jalen can't be great but MJ and Kobe became great because of something you can't just learn. Compare him to Harden if you want or LeBron or Drexler or West but if you're a nice, normal guy, you won't be MJ or Kobe. And you know what, I don't freaking want him to be Kobe. Look at Tatum, he's so desperately chasing Kobe that he lost some of the best parts of his game in his early years.
It's hilarious that some folk on here reply ridiculous stuff to try and get someone to engage with them.. You can tell who puts their all into it.... lol.... Bet they refresh the page hoping to see that red notification light up .... lol... Like I just did
Nope. Green will never be a true PG. They are both uber explosive athletes with insane speed but Ja's fearlessness and playmaking is clear delineation.
Cannot compare them on the court either. Jalen Green plays nothing like MJ or Kobe. They may be similar athletically (arguable) but they do not play the same at all. Even skinny MJ and Kobe were killers, just so much more aggressive. Nevermind how physical they played, both LOVED contact.
Besides body type their games couldn’t be further apart. Ja is a point guard, he creates for his teammates and makes them better. Jalen sits in the corner and misses most of his wide open looks that his teammates create for him. By 20 years old it is impossible to turn someone with zero feel for passing into an actual point guard, much less an elite point guard. Stop embarrassing yourselves by telling me you don’t watch other teams players without telling me you don’t watch other teams players.
