Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins believes the Houston Rockets should select G League Ignite guard Jalen Green with the No. 2 overall pick in the league’s 2021 draft.
In a new interview with Vanessa Richardson of KPRC, Houston’s NBC affiliate, the Beaumont native and current Houstonian indicated his preference for Green over other top prospects such as Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs. Among his comments from Sunday’s interview:
I just want the Rockets to build from the ground up. I think they have a young star in Kevin Porter Jr.
I think they have to draft well. Thank God they got a top-three (draft) pick. I think Jalen Green is the guy for them, in my opinion. Him and Kevin Porter, growing together, will be a bright future for the Houston Rockets.
And look, they have picks all the way to 2099, right, for what they got back for James Harden and Victor (Oladipo), and all those moves that they made. Now it’s on the front office to make sure that they do their job and draft well.
A 6-foot-6 guard, Green averaged 17.9 points (46.1% FG, 36.5% on 3-pointers), 4.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 32.0 minutes per game at the G League bubble. In his only playoff game, the 19-year-old led the Ignite with 30 points (55.0% FG), 7 assists, and 5 rebounds.
