[Jalen Green] “I need to Lock in, Focus on my craft, and get that Rookie of the Year”

Agreed.

A Euro step, stop and pop or fadeaway needs to be added to his bag for him to be a true 3 level threat.

Those straight line drives into the defense were maddening to watch.

He has too much body control to have that happen so often.

 

Yes, that is a good comparison. The HOPE for the Rockets is that Green is a better playmaker than Booker.... right now Booker is somewhat limited because he doesn't create for others. That is less of a problem with Chris Paul, but it also makes Chris Paul the Suns best player and not Booker.

The league has changed so much. Guys that are true two guards that can score and don't want or need to run the offense have been downgraded in importance because you can stop them and their impact is small without the ball in their hands. Now it is all about guards that can score AND run the offense and Wings that can score AND be shut down defenders...... soon the superstars will have to literally do everything, we see that some with Mobley this year and with Holmgren...... 7'0" that can defend and switch inside and out, that can block shots and rebound, can shoot and penetrate and can run the offense.

With guys like that coming out, having a 20 point a game shooting guard that doesn't pass much and doesn't do anything but score is not so important... even if they score at a high level. Look at Bradley Beal, he lead the league in scoring most the year and made little impact on actual wins with Washington and is viewed as a secondary star on a great team.

 

Yeah, he isn't a franchise player but he is an all star and a very good secondary player.

We all hope for a franchise player.... but that doesn't always happen....

Here is a list of the recent #2 picks in the draft

Green
Wiseman
Morant
Bagley
Ball
Ingram
Russell
Parker
Oladipo
Kidd-Gilchrist

Out of that group the two best players are Morant (who is looking very good but has never made an all star team) and Brandon Ingram who is someone that is viewed as a second or third best player on a really good team.

If the Rockets end up with Green being Booker, that isn't a bad thing.

Fans also have to realize that most likely there will be a play or two we passed on that will have a better career than Green.

While I HOPE for superstardom from Green, I know historically the odds are against him.

Some people seem to think this rebuild will be a year or two and we will start winning a lot of games, that isn't realistic.

 

Whilst it's true that historically the 2nd pick has somewhat underperformed, it's not really "cursed" by any means because players like Harden (at 3rd pick) would have performed just as well if he was a 2nd pick. In addition, some of those guys on the list were definitely on their way to becoming a great player (Oladipo, Russell for example made all-stars) but were plagued by injuries that basically put a stop to that.

It's far too early to make calls, so the only thing fans can assess is whether Green has the passion, the drive, or the "it" factor. That's really the only consistent trait among good players and great players. Ben Simmons and Wiggins are two of the most gifted athletes in recent years but everyone would argue their lack of passion and drive to become better players are essentially 99% of the reason they aren't better players today.

The good thing is every analyst is incredibly high on Green's focus and dedication to basketball, and everyone raves about his "it" factor pre-draft. Whether that amounts to anything remains to be seen, but those two big shots he hit yesterday is encouraging to see from a 19 year old rookie, especially when playing in a hostile location like Staples Center.

 

Is it more realistic that he'll be a mere all-star and not a franchise level player? Ya.

But I don't know why you are writing his career already at 19 years of age. He definitely can be a franchise level player. It's a lower probability than him being an all-star level player but it's still in the realm of possiblity.

 

I feel like Jalen Green's frame and athleticism have significantly more potential than Devin Booker, who I love.

JG has the potential to be absolutely dominant at the rim when he gets stronger, something Booker/Beal can only dream about. He jumps twice as high, and his frame is just begging to add muscle.

 

I believe that was his assessment of Devin Booker. I brought up Booker because that’s who Green seems to resemble the most to me. But he’s young so he could be better. However, Booker is no slouch. We saw what he was able to do last season with the proper players around him.

 

I may be wrong but I think Booker has the larger wingspan. But Green is 19 and may still be growing. Of course I hope he ends up being better than Booker but I don’t know if he’ll ever be an above average defensive player. If he can’t get to that level, that keeps him out of superstar level….unless he becomes an all time great offensively.

 

No relation to Devon Booker’s game at all and we could only be so lucky that he could someday turn out as good.

 

don’t forget Kevin Durant was drafted #2 pick too. He’s one of the greatest offensive player in the NBA history and Jalen Green is next! Best believe that!

 

I believe Green is taller. I don't know who has the larger wingspan. The major difference between the two is that Green is more of the athlete than Booker was at 19. He's faster, quicker and can jump through the roof unlike Booker.

So if Green just develops the same level of skillets as Booker, he'll be better because he'll essentially be a player with the skill level of Booker in Zack Lavine's body. I don't know if that turns him into a perennial top 5 player. He probably has to be a above average playmaker to reach that level

 

i like the optimism Naruto

 

30+ every game from here on out and Jalen still got a chance.

 

Who’s the favorite right now? Barnes?

 

40+ games onward, should do the trick.

 

Nope… maybe if he had won the dunk contest the hype would’ve carried over for voters. So glad he’s playing like we had hoped!

 

Jalen could have had a chance had Gordon and Wood been shipped out, and Shroder was glued to the bench after the deadline.

 

He would have had to have started playing like this BEFORE the All-Star break for him to be considered for ROY. He came on strong too late and Mobley has carried the lead for too long for any judge to hand it over to anyone at this point no matter how they play.

 

I don't think so, I think Cade is going to get it - his rebounds and assist numbers are just too much.

But...JG is clearly the best scorer from the draft and likely has demonstrated that he has by far the highest upside now.