Jalen Green Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Fans In Arenas, W. Chandler, 2021 Draft, More

December 11th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

For the time being, only five teams – the Jazz, Pelicans, Magic, Rockets, and Grizzlies – are continuing with their plans to have some fans in arenas when the regular season begins, sources tell David Aldridge of The Athletic.

The Mavericks and Heat each confirmed today that they won’t have fans for their preseason games, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link) and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami also won’t host fans for its Christmas Day game, as Chiang notes.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The NBA intends to administer a daily point-of-care, rapid coronavirus testing system for the 2020/21 season, according to Shams Charania and Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter links). Those tests would return results within 30 minutes in teams’ home markets and within 90 minutes on the road. In the event of invalid results, the player would undergo another rapid test at least 30 minutes after the first one and could participate in team activities while awaiting the result, sources tell The Athletic.
Veteran forward Wilson Chandler is expected to leave Zhejiang Guangsha, his team in China, a source tells Sportando. Chandler, who finished the 2019/20 season with Brooklyn, signed to play in the Chinese Basketball Association in the fall. It’s unclear whether or not his reported exit is related to an NBA opportunity.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz have published their first list of the top 100 prospects for the 2021 NBA draft. Oklahoma State point guard Cade Cunningham leads the way, followed by USC’s Evan Mobley and Jalen Green of the G League Ignite.
Speaking of Green and the Ignite, they’re scheduled to scrimmage on December 15 and 17 against a group of veteran G Leaguers, according to Givony (all Twitter links). It’s unclear whether or not those games will be streamed, but NBA teams will get access to the film, according to Givony, who says Isaiah Briscoe, Tariq Owens, and Bryce Alford will be among the vets scrimmaging against the Ignite.

And-Ones: 2021 Draft, NBAGL, New Coaches, Training Camp Rosters

November 26th, 2020 at 9:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With the 2020 NBA draft in the rear view, several draft experts have begun previewing what promises to be a loaded 2021 draft class.

Jonathan Givony of ESPN supplies his top 60 best prospects, noting that the race for pole position among them remains fairly open. In his own top 60 list, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic observes that the draft is heavy in wings, always a position of need in the league. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report comments in his top 30 ranking that NBA scouts believe several prospects in 2021 sport All-Star potential.

Oklahoma State point guard Cade Cunningham, G League Ignite shooting guard Jalen Green and Kentucky shooting guard Brandon Boston Jr. comprise the top three selections of all three draft prognosticators, though the ordering of the rest of their lists is fairly different.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

Though the fate of the NBA G League’s 2020/21 season has not yet officially been confirmed, a spokesperson for the league informs Jordan Schultz of ESPN (via Twitter) that they are “committed to playing a 2020/21 season.”
Several of the NBA’s new coaching hires have immediately faced unexpected challenges even before the 2020/21 NBA season kicks off, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. While Stephen Silas grapples with his two Rockets superstars striving for trades out of town, Stan Van Gundy has seen two Pelicans starters get replaced. Meanwhile, new Clippers coach Tyronn Lue and new Sixers coach Doc Rivers will need to integrate significant personnel changes on their rosters.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets that he has been told that some NBA clubs do not intend to field full training camp rosters this season due to potential coronavirus risks.

And-Ones: Courtside Camaraderie, Pitino, Shaw, Offseason

October 20th, 2020 at 9:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With no guarantee that fans will be allowed in arenas for the upcoming 2020/21 NBA season, Harvey Araton of the New York Times discussed the tenuous future of courtside seating. Regular Knicks courtside celebrity Spike Lee appeared uncertain of the fate of indoor NBA fan attendance.

“I’m not going to predict the future — taking it day by day,” Lee texted Araton. “I have to see where we are in the world when the next NBA season starts.”

There’s more from around the basketball world:

The remote meetings necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic are largely responsible for Iona’s eight-player recruiting class, according to the Gaels’ new head coach, Rick Pitino. “If it wasn’t for [COVID-19], we couldn’t have brought in the largest recruiting class in my history as a basketball coach,” Pitino said, per Adam Zagoria of Forbes. “I think six out of the eight did not know where Iona was, what county or what state it was in. So COVID helped us in recruiting.”
G League Ignite team head coach Brian Shaw spoke with The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears about the unique opportunities provided him with this newly formed club, which will help prepare top prospects like Jalen Green for the NBA. “High draft picks come in at 18, 19, 20 years old, and there’s an expectation level for them to play and to impact the team,” Shaw said. “And it felt like a lot of the guys [were] missing a lot. They’re talented and have a lot of potential, but have no understanding of what it takes to be a pro on and off the court.”
A panel of ESPN writers appraised the biggest trade and free agency questions facing the league heading into this offseason. Key topics include the impending decision of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo regarding a five-year, super-max extension, the question of whether or not the Warriors will trade the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, and the fate of Chris Paul.

G League Notes: Green, Todd, Nix, Changes

May 4th, 2020 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

If five-star recruit Jalen Green hadn’t opted to follow the NBA G League’s revamped professional path, he likely would’ve ended up playing for Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers in college. As such, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Hardaway doesn’t sound thrilled by the NBAGL’s aggressive new approach to courting top high school prospects.

“I didn’t think the G League was built — and I could be wrong — to go and recruit kids that want to go to college out of going to college,” Hardaway told local reporters on Friday, per Jason Munz of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I thought they were going to be the organization that was going to be, if you want to go overseas or you absolutely did not want to play college 100 percent, that this would be the best situation for you before you go into the NBA.

“But taking guys out of their commitments (or) they’ve already signed and continuing to talk to their parents, it’s almost like tampering. I really don’t agree with that.”

Unlike Green, who had only talked informally about planning to sign with Memphis, top recruits Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix opted for the NBAGL path after committing to Michigan and UCLA, respectively. They had to renege on those commitments to sign with the G League.

Here are a few more items on the G League:

Ethan Strauss of The Athletic doesn’t have a problem with the G League actively pursuing top high school players. Strauss suggests it makes sense for the NBA to try to “kneecap” the NCAA, arguing that it’s more of a competing business than a “free farm system.”
Jeremy Woo of SI.com takes a closer look at how the G League’s new Select Team will work and assesses Green, Nix, and Todd as NBA prospects.
While prospects like Green, Todd, and Nix will do well financially as part of the G League’s new program, most of the rest of the league’s players continue to earn modest salaries and aren’t exactly living an NBA-type lifestyle. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the G League will be making some minor upgrades to conditions for players starting in 2020/21, increasing their daily per diem by $15 and ensuring that players get their own hotel rooms on the road, rather than having to share with teammates.

Draft Notes: Smart, Mack, Yurtseven, 2021 Draft

April 27th, 2020 at 7:59pm CST by Luke Adams

As we outlined on Monday morning, this year’s deadline for early entrants to declare for the 2020 NBA draft fell on Sunday night, meaning the league will soon be officially releasing its initial list of early entrants.

As we await that list, we’re still seeing a few more updates trickling in, so we’ll pass along a couple of those in the space below — and take an early look at how this year’s early entry list will impact the 2021 draft class…

LSU sophomore guard Javonte Smart has declared for the draft while maintaining his college eligibility, he announced on Instagram. Smart, who presumably submitted his paperwork by Sunday night, averaged 12.5 PPG, 4.2 APG, and 3.5 RPG on .415/.326/.814 shooting in 31 games (34.2 MPG) for the Tigers.
Sophomore guard Cam Mack, who previously said he was entering the draft, announced on Twitter that he has changed course and has instead decided to transfer. Mack averaged 12.0 PPG and 6.4 APG in 28 games for Nebraska in 2019/20, but won’t be returning to the Cornhuskers, who suspended him indefinitely near the end of the season.
Georgetown big man Omer Yurtseven will enter the draft and won’t return to college, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. Born in Turkey, Yurtseven averaged 15.5 PPG and 9.8 RPG in 26 games with the Hoyas. The 7-footer also played two seasons with North Carolina State.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link) has updated his 2021 mock draft, removing players who have declared for the 2020 draft and listing Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green as the current favorites to go first and second overall. Both Cunningham and Green would likely be No. 1 on big boards in 2020 if they were eligible to be drafted this year, Givony adds.

And-Ones: Holiday Brothers, Green, NBA China

April 17th, 2020 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked in a group interview by Shams Charania of Stadium (video link) about the possibility of playing together in the future, the Holiday brothers expressed interest, even as Pacers guard Aaron Holiday acknowledged that it’s “probably unrealistic” for the time being.

Justin Holiday, who currently plays in Indiana alongside his younger brother on a one-year deal with the Pacers, said that the brothers probably get asked about the idea of teaming up more than they think about it themselves. Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, meanwhile, said that he thinks the three brothers would “be good together” if they did play on the same team.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Top high school recruit Jalen Green, who decided to sign with the G League as part of the league’s revamped developmental program, will be provided with a full-ride college scholarship by the NBAGL if he wants to go to school at a later date, he tells Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). “I’m still going to be able to go back to college and finish school,” Green said. “So, it’s not really that I’m missing out on college because I can go back and finish whenever I need to.”
In a conversation at The Athletic, former NBA team executives Seth Partnow and John Hollinger traded some big-picture, outside-the-box suggestions for how to change the league. Among the ideas proposed: Expanding the league to 32 teams, revamping the draft workout process, and introducing a “suck tax,” which would hit the league’s worst teams with financial penalties.
NBA China CEO Derek Chang is stepping down from his position, the league announced on Thursday in a press release. Chang, who assumed the role in June 2018, will officially depart after May 15, as the NBA seeks a new executive for the position. It has presumably been a challenging year for Chang, who had to deal with the rift between the NBA and China as a result of Daryl Morey‘s tweet supporting Hong Kong protestors.

G League Notes: Green, Todd, Los Angeles, Mobley

April 16th, 2020 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been an eventful day for the NBA G League, which revealed that it has significantly revamped its program for top high school prospects who want to take a professional path before entering the draft rather than spending a single season in college.

Jalen Green, arguably the top recruit in the 2020 class, became the first big-name prospect to commit to the new NBAGL program, and will reportedly be joined by Isaiah Todd, who decommitted from Michigan earlier this week.

Here are a few more notes and updates on the new G League program and the prospects who are taking that route:

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the compensation packages for high school prospects who sign to play in the G League will vary on a case-by-case basis. However, Green’s total earnings – which will include salary, endorsements, and appearances – are expected to eclipse $1MM.
Green and Todd will join a new G League franchise based in Southern California, Charania reports (Twitter links). That will serve two purposes — it will prevent any NBA team from gaining an upper hand by developing a top prospect at its own G League affiliate and it will allow the new Los Angeles-based team to play a unique schedule of exhibition games that don’t count toward the NBAGL standings, as detailed in an earlier ESPN report.
Evan Mobley, who was ranked second behind Green on ESPN’s list of top 2020 recruits, was approached by the G League as well, a source tells Evan Daniels of 247Sports (Twitter link). While the source described the NBAGL’s offer as “an awesome package,” Mobley preferred to take the college route and will play for USC.

G League Development Program Revamped, Includes $500K Salaries

April 16th, 2020 at 1:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA and G League development program for top high school prospects has been restructured, including salaries and incentives of $500K or more, as well as playing exhibitions rather than regular G League contests, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Adrian Wojnarowski report. Previously, the program offered prospects a $125K salary.

The revamped program helped entice ESPN’s No. 1 high school prospect, Jalen Green, to commit to the G League rather than sign with a college team.

The updated one-year development program will be conducted outside of the G League’s traditional team structure, according to the ESPN duo. Rather than playing regular-season games for a G League affiliate, these top prospects would join some veteran players for exhibition games against G League teams, foreign national teams and NBA academies throughout the world. The exhibitions against G League teams, approximately 10-12 games, wouldn’t count in the standings.

Additionally, the salary bonus structure in a player’s contract will likely include incentives for completing community events and attending life skills program coordinated by the G League, sources tell ESPN.

Previously, top prospects and their advisers had concerns about losing their draft value by being overmatched on G League rosters against more experienced and physically mature players.

The veteran pro players on the team could mentor Green and other prospects while potentially benefiting their own careers. Former NBA coach Sam Mitchell is expected to be a candidate to coach the team, according to the ESPN story.

G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim believes the updated program will be much more appealing to prospects than going overseas for a year. LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton, two of the top prep players last year, chose to play in the Australian league.

“We have kids leaving the United States — Texas and California and Georgia — to go around the world to play, and our NBA community has to travel there to scout them. That’s counter-intuitive,” Abdur-Rahim said. “The NBA is the best development system in the world, and those players shouldn’t have to go somewhere else to develop for a year. They should be in our development system.”

The NBA’s negotiations with the NBPA about eliminating the one-and-done rule for the draft remain stalled, per Woj and Givony, so the G League’s program provides a new bridge to the league for players who aren’t interested in going the college route. For now, those players – such as Green – will still become draft-eligible once they’re a year removed from high school.

Top Prep Prospect Jalen Green Headed To G League

April 16th, 2020 at 12:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

12:58pm: Green has officially committed to participating in the G League program, according to an NBAGL press release relayed by Liz Mullen (Twitter link). Todd has also committed to the G League program, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

10:38am: Jalen Green, the top-rated prospect in this year’s high school class, intends to play in the G League next season, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets.

Green will make a formal announcement on Thursday regarding his plans but he’s already informing his college suitors that he’ll enter the G League’s professional pathway program, Givony adds.

Green is the first prominent high school player to select the G League, rather than being a one-and-done college player or playing overseas until he’s eligible for the draft. As G League expert Adam Johnson notes, the decision represents a huge coup for the league after all of last year’s high school prospects passed up on the chance to play in the NBA’s developmental program (Twitter link).

Green is a 6’5” shooting guard from Fresno, CA who had a laundry list of suitors. He took official visits to Oregon, Kentucky, Auburn and Memphis.

According to ESPN’s prospect evaluation, Green “is a scoring and play-making guard who is only just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.” Green played for USA Basketball in the FIBA U17 and U19 World Championships in 2018 and 2019 and won gold medals.

With all the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic, the option of playing in the G League is becoming increasingly attractive to high school prospects, according to Evan Daniels of 247 Sports. Going overseas is much less attractive due to the pandemic and there’s no way of knowing if and when the college season will be played.

When the G League professional pathway program was announced in the fall of 2018, prospects were to be paid up to $125K. The league is now willing to go higher than that, Daniels adds.

Another major prospect, power forward Isaiah Todd, is also seriously considering the G League, Daniels adds. Todd is ranked No. 13 by ESPN.