Whaddup Razzball Nation?!
Welcome back for another installment of unveiling players who are not quite reaching their potential. Some weeks there may not be much room for improvement between current production and potential production. However, this my friends is not one of those weeks. It is an obvious choice this week, with numbers so glaringly low from what we expect there is literally nowhere to go but up. This will be the challenge in making a trade for this player as his owners also believe that it cannot get any worse than what it is right now.
That being said, it is always worth a shot to test another GM’s patience level and willingness to pass on the waiting game to someone else.
This week we Takeoff to Houston my amigos. (RIP)
Jalen Green
Let’s get right down to business.
Last year, Jalen was the 62nd ranked player on Yahoo by the end of the season. Following a shaky start to begin the season, Jalen figured things out in the second half of the season and finished strong. Many hoped and assumed that his end-of-season play would, not only carry over into this season, but also show signs of growth and improvement.
When we look at his numbers over the past two weeks, he is the 150th ranked player with below averages across the board in every category minus scoring, which is up 1.7 points to 19 per game. The reason I see for the increased points also indicates a reason to be optimistic, as he is shooting four more shots per game this season. Simply put, the shots just have not gone in.
While he is far from a sniper, as evidenced by his 42.6% shooting from the field last season, I do not believe he will remain 36% shooter the entire season either.
An increase in his shooting efficiency will provide more points and improved shooting from the line (currently 77.4%) will boost the points category. This means we could see Jalen go from a 19 points per game scorer to 24 points per game rather easily. Improving percentages and points will also boost his value at least 50 spots from where he is currently sitting and into the top 100.
We may not see the uptick in assists that we were hoping for, as his backcourt mate Kevin Porter Jr. and second year big man Alpren Sengun, take away some of those play making abilities. Still, this is a prime opportunity to land yourself a 20-plus point per night scorer for a discount and those opportunities do not grow on trees.
Perhaps a steady Tre Jones or the perceived upside of a Jaden Ivey can get it done or at least spark some conversation. The upside in the second-year guard remains tantalizing, so float some offers out there to a frustrated manager who is looking for strong percentages and/or needs some production now. Then pat yourself on the back later when Jalen Green starts to click at the pace we expect.
Good luck out there as always, and hit me up in the comment section below.
Peace.
