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Jalen Green, the number one prospect in his class, has decided to skip college and head straight to the NBA G-League.
Here was Green making his decision on Thursday:
Breaking: Jalen Green, the nation's No. 1 recruit, is informing colleges that he plans to enter the NBA/G League's professional pathway program, per @DraftExpress.
He's expected to be one of the front-runners to become the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft. pic.twitter.com/YWW11SsZFa
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 16, 2020
Jalen Green’s High School Stats
Green played at Prolific Prep in Napa, California. During his senior season, he averaged 31.5 points and set his school’s single-season scoring record with 1,008. Green didn’t even need his senior season to break the scoring record at Prolific Prep. He scored 2,291 points in just three seasons with his school.
Green had offers from several prestigious schools. However, He only took four visits. First, he visited Oregon. Then, he went to Auburn a week later. He then visited Memphis. Finally, two weeks later he went to Kentucky. Overall, Green had 20 offers, but he felt like his path to the NBA should go though the G-League instead of college.
Green’s International Play
According to his Team USA profile, Green won gold medals in the U-19, U-18, U-17 and U-16 World Cups. Green was also named MVP of the 2018 U-17 FIBA World Cup.
Could Green be the Top Pick?
Jalen Green is certainly a talented player, but the question will be how he stacks up to the other 2021 draft prospects. ESPN, along with several other sites have Cade Cunningham from Oklahoma State as the consensus number one pick. Green is listed at number two on most mock drafts.
What Does This Mean for Future Prospects?
Deciding to skip college and head straight to the G-League is something top prospects rarely do. However, if things work out well for Jalen Green, and he ends up being a great NBA player, then we may see this happen more often. Green may be beginning a trend where high school prospects choose the NBA G-League, and get paid one year earlier than usual. NBA executives, college coaches and college recruits will all be interested to see if Jalen Green’s decision works out.
