Cavs draft: All-around scoring tool box is key seller for Jalen Green

How Green’s scoring versatility would make a difference for the Cavs

Green has a truly lightning quick first step which makes him so difficult to stay in front of, for one. But the change of pace he displayed in the G League bubble with the G League Ignite squad was really nice to see from him, too.

With his quickness, and ability to explode to get blow-bys leading to looks at the rim, where he can finish with both body control/touch and also with above-the-rim power could really help out the Cavaliers. That’d be feasibly in both settled offense with the pressure he’d put on defenses, and in the open floor, too.

Green showing a combination of pull-up viability, feel for getting to step backs at times and even pull backs mixed in in his G League Ignite burn was also very promising to me.

There was flashes of that previously in high school/AAU run, sure, albeit the shooting off-the-bounce he displayed in the G League bubble was especially encouraging. And that leads one to believe with his driving/finishing prowess/explosiveness, that he can fill it up in that way in the near future in the NBA as well.

Additionally, Green, who had 17.9 points on 46.5 percent shooting, and who hit a solid 36.5 percent of his 5.7 three-point attempts in 15 bubble games, demonstrated plenty of catch-and-shoot viability. That was in burn alongside Kuminga, former longtime NBA lead guard Jarrett Jack, fellow 2021 NBA Draft prospect Daishen Nix and others.

Now, that’d be likely in minutes at the 2 and 3 for stretches I’d think, and/or as a de facto 1 in some spurts, and whether or not the 6-foot-6, 178-pound Green could be starting at the 3 alongside Garland and Sexton is something the Cavs would have to iron out. He’ll need to add weight, regardless, in coming years, though, objectively.

But that sort of thing shouldn’t be too much of a deterrent for Cleveland, however, and I wouldn’t think it would be.