Fil-Am Jalen Green sees long NBA road ahead

Fil-Am Jalen Green made headlines when he opted to play for the NBA G League over the controversy-laden collegiate basketball scene in the US. 

But it’s easy to see why the 18-year-old made this choice. Not only will he be paid a handsome $500,000 (P24.5 million) for a year, he will also receive training and coaching from professionals.

“A lot of people say what I did is starting a trend and they say I’m a pioneer, a trailblazer, a whole bunch of things like that. I don’t really look at it that way,” said Green.

“I just look at it as another way to get better, another way to develop my game.”

Even then, Green recognizes he can’t take anything for granted, even if he’s a virtual lock to be a high draft pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

He has been working hard to stay in shape and with the help of former Indiana Pacers point guard Darren Collison – who helps with his on-court skills training – and strength and conditioning trainer Jason Estrada, Green has been trying to purge the weaknesses in his game.

“The things I need to get better, I’m gonna work on everyday. I’m gonna work on my shot, I’m gonna work on defense, I’m gonna work on reading the floor, I’m gonna work on my reads, I’m gonna work on coming off ball-[screens],” Green said in the Tiebreaker Times’ 2OT vodcast.

He then shared that he’s working on mastering the mental side of the game. He’s also polishing his shooting after hearing many criticisms of him lacking a reliable outside jumper. However, Green maintains he wants to be a complete basketball player.

“Everything that’s in the game of basketball, I’m gonna work on to get better at because I want to be one of the great players in the NBA and that’s not just gonna happen overnight. You got to work for it.”

‘Gilas a possibility’

The high-flying 6-foot-5 guard will receive mentoring from one of the established coaches at the pro level, former Denver Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw.

“[We should] take everything in that coach Shaw is telling us, all the coaching staff, all the pro trainers, just take it all in, like experience and really use it and get stronger, better, learn more about the game these days, learn more about the business,” Green said.

“We have all the tools in our backyard to learn and get better so we just gotta use it to our advantage.”

Green will be joined by fellow Filipino Kai Sotto, Isaiah Todd, Daishen Nix, and Jonathan Kuminga in the G League Select Team. He expects that the 5 of them will push each other to be better every single day.

“I expect everyone to come in the gym everyday and work their butts off, because these 5 high school elite players that chose this route all have one goal, it’s to get into the NBA,” Green said.

“So there can’t be no slacking, there can’t be no days off, there can’t be men in their socks.” 

Green is excited to be playing with Sotto after previously facing off in the NBTC National Finals in 2018 and 2019. (READ: G League coach Shaw likens Kai Sotto to Nikola Jokic)

“Kai’s a great player. I think he can be good and we’ll be really great together,” Green said.

The Fil-Am shooting guard also left the door open for a future stint with the Gilas Pilipinas, saying “it could be a possibility.”

Green is optimistic that he, Sotto, and the rest of his teammates can hang with more experienced players in the G League once they learn to play with and for one another.

“We got to build the chemistry because if we go get the chance to step up our form of play, then we all have to be on the same page so we could win,” Green said.

“I think we’re gonna have a great year. I think we will get better, [and] we’ll get more prepared for the NBA.” – Jedd Pagaduan/Rappler.com