NBA G League: Jalen Green vows to work on all-around game to be 'one of the greats' | ABS-CBN

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NBA G League: Jalen Green vows to work on all-around game to be 'one of the greats'

NBA G League: Jalen Green vows to work on all-around game to be 'one of the greats'

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

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Team USA's Jalen Green dunks in their game against Lithuania in the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Heraklion, Greece. FIBA.basketball

MANILA, Philippines -- Jalen Green knows that he has a long way to go before he can be considered as one of the best players in the world, but he is willing to put in the work in order to get there.

"Everything that's in the game of basketball, I'm gonna work on to get better, because I wanna be one of the great players in the NBA," Green said during a recent interview organized by NBA Philippines.

Green is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2020, classified as a five-star recruit by most agencies including ESPN and Rivals.

Last April, he announced that he would be foregoing college to instead play for the NBA G League Select Team, where he was eventually joined by other top prospects, including Filipino teenager Kai Sotto. There, they will get coaching on the court and mentoring off of it, which will prepare them for a life in the NBA.

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The California native guaranteed that he was ready for the grind. Even now, with the team yet to get together because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has continued to work with his own trainers, including former NBA player Darren Collison.

"Anything that I need to get better, I'm gonna work on every day," said Green. "I'm gonna work on my shot, I'm gonna work on my defense. I'm gonna work on reading the floor, I'm gonna work on my reads. I'm gonna work on coming off (ball screens)."

"It's not just gonna happen overnight. You gotta work for it. So everything in the game of basketball, I'm going to work," he vowed.

Green, who traces his roots to the Philippines and played in the NBTC National Championship in 2018 and 2019, drew praise from ESPN for his scoring and playmaking ability. In its scouting report on Green, it said that the 18-year-old is "just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential."

At his young age, Green is already a veteran of international basketball, having represented the United States in the Under-17 and Under-19 FIBA World Cups.

He believes that his experiences in USA Basketball will be crucial for him in the G League, and eventually, in the NBA.

"It was a special opportunity," he said. "You really gotta mold to it and you really gotta adapt. And that's something you gotta do in the NBA, because you're playing with other great players in the NBA, so you gotta really adapt to it, know your role."

"What you gotta do when you step on the court, you gotta bring energy, you gotta play defense. So I think it was a great experience for me, I love USA Basketball," he added.

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.

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