MANILA - Top-ranked prospect Jalen Green knows all eyes will be on him when he and the NBA G League Select Team begin playing together.

The No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2020 according to ESPN, Green made the trailblazing decision to skip college and instead play in the G League through its professional pathway program. There, he and his teammates will play a schedule outside the league's traditional structure, and get mentoring off the court as well to prepare them for a life in the NBA.

Plenty of attention will be on the 18-year-old Green, who is being tipped as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

"I'm not sure if they're gonna put a target on my back, (but) I won't be surprised if they did," said Green, who at his young age is already a veteran of international competitions through his stints in USA Basketball.

"I mean, we're 18-year-olds coming into a grown man league. So I won't be surprised if they did," he added.

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This won't be a new experience for Green, however. He is used to having a target on his back, having been a high-profile prospect for most of his teenage years.

"I think I am ready for it," he said during an interview organized by NBA Philippines. "That really doesn't affect me no more."

"With the physicality part, I think I'm working to be prepared for it. Like you said, we'll be playing with grown men so we're gonna have to keep working at getting stronger every day," he added.

"When that time comes, we're gonna see if I'm ready for it. I think I'm ready for it though."

Green will be joined by five other top-level recruits. Jonathan Kuminga was supposed to be the No. 1 prospect in 2021, but reclassified to the Class of 2020 and joined the Select Team. Daishen Nix and Isaiah Todd also followed him to the G League.

Kai Sotto of the Philippines and Princepal Singh of India are also part of the team.

Green doesn't dwell on the idea that he is a "pioneer," because of his decision to play in the G League rather than in college or in leagues in Europe or Australia. Rather, he wants to focus on the challenge ahead of him and his teammates.

"I just look at it as another way to get better," he says. "I was the first one to do it, I took that chance, but I'm really excited about it."

"I think everyone that's on the staff, all the training, everything is gonna come together and we're gonna have a big year. I'ma learn and that's the biggest thing for me, just to learn and be prepared," he added.

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