Sources High on Jalen Green for Rockets With No. 2 Pick; Compares Himself to Kobe Bryant

 

Houston NBA insider Kelly Iko says there are numerous sources around the league that think the Rockets should be going with G League star Jalen Green with the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft later this month.

Report: Multiple people around the league ‘love the idea’ of pairing Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. https://t.co/MBtuLgIAxk

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) July 5, 2021

The 19-year-old Green only took 13 shots a game in the G League, averaging 18 ppg, but with his off-the-charts offensive skills and basketball IQ, he could be expected to go for so much more in an NBA offense. 

As Iko points out, the sources who support Green going at No. 2, "love the idea of Green fitting in Houston, mainly because of the potential for stardom down the line and the backcourt fit with Kevin Porter Jr."

Another NBA "source" is happy to make himself known:

The Rockets should take Jalen Green with Number 2 pick!!! Carry on.... https://t.co/j4mVg9hYoQ

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) July 5, 2021

Kendrick Perkins is never one to hold back an opinion. 

As for Green, foregoing college and playing against pros in the G League seems to have elevated his game, and his stock, to an elite level, quickly. 

His coach with the Ignite, Brian Shaw, said "Those players that are special players, they have this “it” factor that you hear people talk about. He has “it.” He has a knack for being able to figure things out on the fly."

The one fly-in-the-ointment here for Houston is that Green is rising so fast there's no rock-clad guarantee that he'll be available to the Rockets at No. 2. Some insiders opine that Cade Cunningham is not a lock at No. 1 just yet. 

Just ask Green himself. He likes to compare his game to Kobe Bryant's. And his high school coach Brad Roznovosky says "If you asked Jalen today, he can tell you that you’re crazy if you don’t take him No. 1.”

Photo Credit: G League Ignite