Fil-Am Jalen Green working on shooting, mental toughness

MANILA, Philippines — High-leaping and crowd-pleasing Filipino-American Jalen Green is projected to be a top pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. And for all his prodigious skills, the 6’5” California native says he is working on his outside shooting and his mental toughness. 

“People are saying that I have no outside shot and I think in the NBA you have to work on that,” said Green, who has made a name for himself as a prolific scorer with Prolific Prep where he set a single season scoring record of 1,008 points.

Filipinos got their first glimpse of Green when he showcased his skills in the last two National Basketball Training Center National High School Championships as part of the Filipino-American side that compete in the annual tournament. 

Aside from showing terrific ability to get to the rim and finish with a flourish — he provided highlights by dunking on Kai Sotto on several occasions — he has shown that he can hit the outside shot.

Both Sotto and Green are now in the G-League’s select team that will be coached by former NBA star Brian Shaw. 

“It is something I have to work on,” he admitted.

As for the mental aspect, Green said that too is another factor he is working on as the NBA.

Since his NBTC stint, Green has represented the United States in international competition, bagging gold medals in the 2017 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship, the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup, and most recently, the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2018 FIBA U-17 World Cup.