One of the many interesting 2021 NBA Draft prospects is guard/wing Jalen Green from the G League Ignite squad. Green shocked many by making the decision to play in the NBA G League opting out of playing in college, a decision that proved to be wise as it allowed Green to still establish himself as one of the top prospects.
The 6-foot-5 athletic guard was electric during his one season with the Ignite, where he got to showcase what kind of player he can be at the next level. Green has been a highly-touted prospect for a while now though.
Green could definitely be in the mix in the top 3, which happens to be the range in which the Cleveland Cavaliers are picking this year at third. Others in the mix for Cleveland would seem to be Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs and although to a lesser extent, perhaps Jonathan Kuminga or Scottie Barnes.
Granted, Cleveland could reportedly be open to trading their third pick as part of a package for an established star, with maybe Kevin Love and/or Collin Sexton, who has been a player mentioned in trade rumors lately, as pieces in a possible deal. That said, it’d still seem that the Cavs would more so just end up taking the pick currently.
So if he’s selected by the Cavs with the third overall pick, you’d expect Green to make a huge impact in Cleveland, and he could very well eventually become the new face of the franchise.
With that in mind, here, we’ll touch on two realistic expectations for Green with the Cavs, and this is more so just in regards to his first season.
The first has to do with his scoring.
#1: Green shows he can score in bunches for the Cavs
Outside of their dynamic backcourt of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, the Cavaliers struggled to score at times last season and it showed as the Cavs were 28th in offensive rating.
Now, Cleveland not having Kevin Love for most of the season (right calf injury) didn’t help, and there were other injuries, but an infusion of scoring, whether or not Sexton could eventually be dealt, is crucial.
If he’s selected in the 2021 NBA Draft, Jalen Green will be able to come in and score right away for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and even if he starts off the bench, he should still end up getting plenty of opportunities.
During Green’s time with the Ignite, he averaged 17.9 points per game on 46.1 percent shooting, and because of his three-level polish/athleticism, many draft pundits have compared him to other elite guard/wings in the NBA such as Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine.
#2: Green looks to have superstar potential for the Cavs
One of the many interesting wrinkles in this year’s draft is that Green can potentially be the superstar that the Cavaliers have been looking for since LeBron James’ departure for the second time.
During his time with the Ignite, there were moments of greatness from Green in where he showed he could be a big-time player at the next level, and if he can improve in other areas, of which there’s been promising signs as a playmaker, he could be a perennial All-Star.
Green’s defensive effort and feel for getting in passing lanes shouldn’t be discounted either, and while he’ll need to get stronger, he could be an impact player in the near future on that end as well.
Moreover, if Cleveland were to end up selecting Green on July 29, they could have their next franchise player if he’s developed properly.