Very interesting, BUT there is only one Kobe Bryant. He was a very unique player. Hopefully, we can say the same someday about Jalen Green, but there is a considerable ways to go.
@DaDakota I'm not looking to "attack you" or anything, but I'm genuinely curious if you still think Green should've been picked 8-12 because there were more "NBA ready" guys? I'll probably ask you the same question next year and year after
I think people are missing the point when Green's stats are compared to Kobe's 2nd year stats. It doesn't mean that Green is Kobe-like or that he will have a career like Kobe. It's just showing that you don't look at a guy's performance when he's so young and predict his ceiling. It is just unwise to dismiss a player when he hasn't even played a full season.
Fanatics be fanatics. Friends of Green would not as it would be unwise to compare an unproven rookie to a legend, admittedly slightly overrated one. More pressure.
Dont you guys DARE compare Jalen Green years 1/2 with Kobe Bryant years 1/2 even if their stats are almost identical!! (but lets go ahead and say Mobley is the next Garnett-Giannis hybrid )
Only a few fanatics would predict that Green was Kobe v.2. (Hey, maybe he will exceed what Kobe accomplished and bring us multiple championship. We can hope!) Again, the point isn't that Green will be as good as Kobe, but that Kobe was as "bad" as Green when he was his age. The same logic of those who dismissed Green could be used to dismiss Kobe. I am not worried about pressure on him. If he can't handle pressure and expectations, he is not a great player. My view about Green and Alpi and all the other young guys is the same. If they can be held back by adverse circumstances, then they aren't great players we hope them to be. Some players look great when everything goes well. But when the pressure comes, as it will always come if they want to win a championship, they wither. We don't want that kind of guy to be our franchise player.
I might slightly think differently here, Kobe was in a different mindset coming from HS, and having to undergo rookie and sophomore hazing and as a loner was kind of introverted, watching all the tapes of Jordan and Oscar Robertson. I doubt he was bad per se, but the common perception of that era was to play rookies 10-18 minutes, especially on good teams. It is totally different, kind of like going to enlist to a master - student program. He was also a bottom lottery pick, making it even harder to earn minutes. Keys were given to Green from Day 1 to average 29-32 mpg.
Thanks. I also could not say which is better as Green scoring 24 ppg by his third year would mean a lot to the Rockets but he might become entitled earlier. (Hypothesis) There is not a right timeline for maturity in this game. When your body and mind are at the same high level, that is when you have the most success normally.
I think too when some of us make these comparisons it's more about the build or archetype of the player. I think that's what most people mean when they say that, that he would affect a game the same way. He's that uber athletic SG that is a rhythm shooter with a strong ability to slash and finish. As opposed to being like Klay Thompson... Or like how Trey Young is 'like' Curry, not that he'll ever be that good but he's the same mold of PG that Curry is. I guess it's like Sengun getting Jokic comparisons...not that he's that good but he's that same kind of player type. I think with Green though this kind of guard has kind of been out of style for some time now. Edwards is probably the only similar comparison to it. It's a very exciting kind of archetype since the GOAT was also that kind of player. A SG with elite slashing ability and a tendency to get hot just when you need him to, a rhythm player. What stopped me from comparing Green to that is his defense has improved...a lot...at first I thought he'd be an average at best defender...but now I'm thinking his defensive potential has been undersold. He seems able to focus down on defense and on the flip side go get a bucket. I'm really liking how much he's progressed.
I wonder if anyone can get this clip ... my favorite part from the game was when Lowry was talking to our bench sometime in the 3rd/4th ... everyone else was laughing , green looked focused and intense . green is impressing me . He was bad to start the year , but his shot is coming along and with it everything else . he has been pretty good on defense for how slight he is , and that should only improve . It’s impressive considering he’s a rookie , he’s not huge , and our team is so bad . his athleticism is holding up if not improving over the season which is a really good sign . can’t wait to see him next year
I get that totally but the archetypes of Trey and Sengün are a bit high. Both Trey and Sengün are extremely undersized which makes it real hard to live up to all that expectation. While Curry would still be a good shooter if he were only 5'11 or 6'0, the Center position for Sengün is harder to play with a build of 6‘9.5. I have a hard time believing he would become close to being the shooter Jokic is.
Not sure if posted but Jalen is now up to 6 on the NBA rookie ladder https://www.nba.com/news/kia-rookie-ladder-march-9-2022-edition I think he has a shot at top 5 if Giddey stays out.
I really think if people watch unbiased, JG has suddenly become our best perimeter defender after being the.by far worst for half a year. While his offensive improvement is very impressive, i'm baffled how much one player can improve at the defensive end in just 3 quarters of a season.
