FILE – Jalen Green #4 of the G League Ignite brings the ball up the floor during a G-League game against the Westchester Knicks at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on February 18, 2021 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Jalen Green is being deemed among the top picks in the 2021 NBA Draft by basketball experts in the US.
A mock draft by Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek has projected Green to be the third overall selection while also having the potential to end up as the top choice with this year’s class having “no true consensus No. 1 pick” at this point, as per the website.
The Fil-American guard bolstered his stock during his productive stint with G League Ignite were he emerged as the team’s main man.
Green, 19, led Ignite in scoring as he averaged 17.9 points on top of 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals in 15 games.
With Green leading the way, Ignite made the G League playoffs as the eighth seed.
The 6-foot-6 Green saved his best for last in the quarterfinals, firing a season-best 30 points that went with five rebounds, seven assists and three steals in a 127-102 loss to the top-seeded Raptors 905.
A mock draft by NBC Sports, meanwhile, has Green at No. 4 behind Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State, Evan Mobley of USC and Jalen Suggs of Gonzaga.
The NBA is set to hold the draft on July 29 with the lottery happening on June 22.