HOUSTON, we don’t have a problem.
PBA legend Jimmy Alapag gushed on the potential of Fil-Am Jalen Green, saying the high-flying wingman has what it takes in the NBA.
“For a young player, his experience last year with the G League was a big help because it gave him an opportunity to have a better understanding of the pro game, especially in the NBA,” Alapag said on Radyo5 92.3 News FM’s Power and Play program hosted by former PBA commissioner Noli Eala.
“He got to a blazing start in Vegas, and I’m sure the Rockets are really excited about who they drafted this year,” he added.
The 6-foot-6 Green was tabbed second overall by the Rockets in last month’s NBA draft and promptly made an impact in the NBA Summer League where he averaged 20.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in three games before he was shut down by a hamstring injury.
Green, 19, was included in the Mythical Second team.
Alapag, who served as an assistant coach for Sacramento in the Summer League, described Green as a “big-time talent.”
“Obviously, (he’s) a big-time talent. Everybody sees the athleticism, the speed and quickness that he plays with. He was really impressive,” Alapag said.“I was able to watch a couple of his games before he came up with that hamstring injury.”
Green, whose mother is Bree Purganan, a Filipina nurse from Ilocos Sur, had a stellar stint for Ignite last year where he averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 15 games for the pioneering select squad under Brian Shaw.
A member of the US teams that won the FIBA Under-17 and FIBA Under-19 World Cups in 2018 and 2019, respectively, Green will team up with the likes of Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr., veterans John Wall and Eric Gordon, and fellow rookies Alperen Sengun from Turkey, Usman Garuba from Spain, and former AAU teammate Josh Christopher.
