Coming back from the worst team in history arguably in the first 15 games and being one of the worst players ever in history in the first 15 games...... historic comeback even.
They're both nearly as athletic, but Jalen has a long way to go in terms of honing that athleticism. Ja is incredibly athletic, high IQ AND skilled. It's the reaction, time, the quick decisiveness and a lot of that is what's in a players head. Right now, Green is to mechanical on his drives like Westbrook, but if he ends up being Russ, with a better IQ and better shot, I wouldn't be mad.
There isn't a scoring guard that's on Ja's level right now. I'd take Ja over Booker, Mitchell, Beal, Lavine. An elite lead guard will always be more valuable than an elite scoring guard because they just do more for the team. Last year when Curry and Beal were head to head for the scoring title, no one would argue that Beal was anywhere near Curry's level because even though Beal was dropping 30ppg, that's all he did.
Green seems to be hesitant. There isn't much aggression, he doesn't try and put his WILL on the game. I saw a lot of that in KAT early on too, compared to how he plays now. It may have to be something he has to acquire as he gets older.
From all accounts that's what I'm hearing Jalen Green has as well. Passion to be the best, to the point of compulsive. Yes, I took that into account. Jalen hasn't given us mid range shots because the Rockets frown on it....but there goes Josh Christopher breaking that rule......so what do you see a clip of Jalen working on? Floaters and mid range shots all of a sudden. I said Jalen will be a 3-tier threat shooting from 3's, Mid Range and at the rim.... and he will. Add transitions and free throws and you get the 30 points a night average. That dunk vs Raps where Jalen contorts his body to avoid Precious and then dunks is vintage MJ or Kobe. MJ has big hand....yeah well when you can jump like this and hold the ball with small hands and realign to dunk it....well you ok!! Look how he changes the angle of his arm. Beal, Lavine get that blocked. When do you see a euro step that ends in a dunk? Rarely ever. 99% of the time the euro ends up a finger roll or lay up attempt. Jalen Euro stepped and dunked vs Orlando close to the rim. You can see it here 41 seconds into this clip: That's Kobe and MJ like. I hear you, the fire didn't just turn on in the 3rd year of Kobe/MJ....it starts earlier. Jalen has that....you just aren't around him to scene it behind the scenes.
IMO the rookies and sophomores of today can count on better sports science, nutrition and better workout opportunities than what Mike and Kobe had. There is no real need to hammer down on the 3rd year narrative as tons of rookies and sophs are readier and more advanced before their 3rd year than in the past!
In the days of Olajuwon it's said players would peak around age 27 Are you saying NBA players peak sooner, recently? Any studies showing this? Just curious I saw a Thibs interview where he was praising Duarte and saying the trend of "must draft 19 year olds" is being debunked in his eyes and with many excecs he has talked with. He mentioned other players as well; not just Duarte as an example
I dont see the comparison. Morant is a PG, a ball handler, a playmaker. Green is a scoring SG. Very different profiles. Yes both are athletic, but that's it. In relation to their finishing abilities, Morant has a wider frame, maybe is already tougher phisically. We have to wait how Jalen's body develops. Jalen won't get near his potential till he's the number one option, because his ceiling is about being an alpha scorer. I get he was not ready in his rookie season, but he should have much more usage in his 2nd season. Question is, is that possible with Porter next to him?
Disagree. You just cant dictate your touches as a SG rookie. You can as a rookie PG. If you want your rookie SG to get more touches you're going to need the help of your coach and your PG. It is very unfair to blame that on Jalen.
No I wouldn’t have predicted this level of improvement. I think Jalen could one day average 25+ ppg, I don’t think he’ll ever average 6 boards and 6 dimes like Ja is doing. Green could become an elite scorer though, no doubt.
i pick green over morant because he's only 19 and will stay that way for a few years. in 2027 when we earn the #1 pick, a 19 yo green and another 19 yo rookie will be ceiling-less
The idea that Green can always just be more selfish and not pass the ball or demand the ball never made much sense, and is frankly nonsense the more you think about it. Is Green supposed to leave his spot and run over and ask for the ball? Would his teammates be working with him to set screens or run give and go with him? At the end of the day, Green needs more plays ran for him, and for the teammates to know to look for him, which is the natural way for him to develop more touches. He can't run up to the ball handler to ask for the ball every possession, it's up to the team and the PG to look for him and play to his spots. Fortunately, as bad as the team has been in doing that overall, KJ Martin and Sengun have especially been good working the 2 man game with him.
I think they are a lit more alike than not, the only difference is Ja has the ball more. I think early on, by having the ball more, it helped Ja, whereas with Green his teammates saw him as a 3rd or 4th option and he just lingered on the perimeter. Now that he is making his shots, the ball will find him more. Similar to Kobe and MJ. They were not PGs but the ball found them.
Here @daywalker02 I found an interesting article for us which backs up your thought (maybe) and still claims NBA player peak as to what I'm saying (around 27). Brings out that 18 and 19 year olds just aren't that good efficiency wise https://towardsdatascience.com/the-asset-of-age-e4b45599ea94
