In October, Reggie Hearn was taking part in a 3-on-3 game with the latest G League Ignite when a teenager surprised him.
When a slender 18-year-old named Jalen Green muscled him out of the way and dunked on him, the one-time Detroit Pistons guard with a solid, 6-foot-5, 215-pound body was caught off guard.
“Jalen drove baseline one or two dribbles, and I was right on his hip. And he gave me a quick little shoulder, which was surprising,” Hearn said.
“He just gave me a quick little shoulder to the chest, knocked me off balance a little bit and he went up two hands, two feet and just dunked on me.
“I said, ‘Wow. OK.’ I had watched some highlights of the guys before I came here and I saw he could get up. But it’s different dunking on a fast break than it is driving baseline, giving someone a shoulder and dunking with two hands and two feet in traffic. That’s when I knew for the first time he was legit. … The kid can flat-out play.” He added.
In Walnut Creek, the G League Ignite team workouts over the Bay Bridge and across the tunnel from where the Warriors play their home games in San Francisco.
Coach Brian Shaw decided to take advantage of the proximity to the past NBA champions when He took the job as the head coach of Ignite, making members of the company coming in to speak to his young players.
“He has effortless athleticism on top of that. We’re trying to instill and put into place the footwork, the fundamentals and the things that will be his foundation going forward. I think the combination of that, along with his God-given talent and ability athletically, as well as his knack for being able to score the ball at every different level, from the three-point line, mid-range game. He can post up, even though he has a slight build. He’s a great slasher who can get to the rim and finish with contact or over contact.” Coach Brian Shaw said in a podcast interview.
One Ignite player, however, already had the chance to work out with a Warriors star. Growing up in Fresno, when Green was still in high school, top NBA draft prospect Jalen Green trained with Steph Curry. It was just one time, but the teachings that Green took from Curry were always resonating with him today with his mentor.
“Steph just tells me to keep working,” Green told media members during a Zoom press conference. “He tries to give me information, as much as he can — moving without the ball. He moves without the ball a lot. He’s never stagnant, and that’s something in my game I didn’t really have.”
Kentucky, Arizona, Memphis, Auburn, Oregon and other colleges was turned down by the future No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft to become the first high school player to reach the Ignite, providing teenage draft prospects a chance to play exhibition games against fellow G League players and concentrate for one season on player progress.
“I’m just excited to go play, and actually being able to have games,” Green said. “So that’s a blessing. We’ve been sitting out for so long, and the other games were just scrimmages. So, I think I got a little taste of what it looked like or what it’s going to be getting ready for the bubble.”
In addition to basketball preparation, as part of the career development program, Ignite provides mentorship, life skills training and online education courses. The Ignite also offers a psychologist for mental health needs, Green said.
“So, it’s been a blessing to come do this because a lot of people, a lot of 18-year-olds would love to be in this position. We just got to carry ourselves like a professional.”
The Ignite, in addition, being coached by Shaw, helped the growth of young players by adding to the team the former NBA players, including Hearn, Bobby Brown, Jarrett Jack, Amir Johnson and Donta Hall. Former NBA guard Jeremy Lin, now with the Santa Cruz Warriors G League, has collaborated with Ignite as well. Green, who turns 19 on Feb. 9, claims he has been pressing the veterans for information. He believes that he is “one step” ahead of the players in college.
“I talk to Bobby Brown and Reggie Hearn a lot,” Green said. “All the vets talk to us. We like little brothers to them. They’re very helpful and they give us a lot of information. They used to be us. The best thing I can take right now from a vet is I need to slow down and just take my time. I can get whatever bucket I want. I just need to slow down.”
Not only has Hearn been fascinated by the talent of Green, but also by how coachable he is.
“I’ve been encouraging him to always be in attack mode, especially in transition,” Hearn said. “Also, I’m encouraging him to find easy ways to get a few buckets per game through cutting and learning how to move without the ball. He’s humble and coachable on top of his natural talent, and that will take him far.”
The mock draft was recently reported on the NBA prospects, the US-based Filipino Jalen Green remained in the top 5.
CBS Sports said: “He’s an athletic marvel and shot-hunter whose talent at every level he’s played at — including on the Olympic circuit — have been validated.”
Bleacher Report added that Green’s “ball skills and shooting are catching up to the explosiveness and quickness.”