Houston Rockers rookie Jalen Green recently threw some shade at the city of Detroit.
The Detroit Pistons passed on him with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft in favor of Cade Cunningham. The Rockets snagged Green with the No. 2 overall pick.
“I wanted to be the No. 1 pick, but as for the location, I didn’t want to be in Detroit,” Green said to Yahoo! Sports. “I felt a lot more comfortable in Houston. It felt like a real homie environment. With Detroit, it felt like I was just going back to the G League bubble, and I just got out of the bubble. That’s pretty much what it was.
“In the [G League] bubble, I didn’t really have anything to do but just stay in the gym. I didn’t have any time to get away for myself. The only time I had to get away for myself was in my apartment. That’s what it felt like in Detroit. I wouldn’t be stepping outside in Detroit. There are not many things you can do in Detroit like that. You’re going to stay in the gym and then go back to your apartment.”
It sounds like the youngster is satisfied with where he ended up, and it’s safe to assume that the Rockets are also satisfied with the outcome.
Green projects to be one of the best players from the 2021 draft class. Unlike most prospects, he didn’t attend college. He spent a season with the NBA G League Ignite instead.
There, he averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He knocked down 46.1 percent of his shots from the field and 36.5 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
Green doesn’t lack confidence, and that’s a quality that will like take him a long way in the NBA. For Houston, the hope is that he will become one of the best young players in basketball.
The Rockets are working on establishing an exciting young core. The team is hoping to get back to relevancy after losing James Harden in the 2020-21 season.
