Jalen Green is one of the big names from the 2021 NBA Draft class after making a statement in his lone G League season. The Houston Rockets have drafted him with the second overall pick and have plenty of expectations for the next few years with him.
The 19-year-old was expected to be one of the highest selections after his impressive, breakout year after high school, and having worked with the two teams with the highest draft picks, Houston and the Detroit Pistons.
Well, the Pistons have ultimately decided to use their first selection on Cade Cunningham, making Green available for the Rockets in the following pick, and he hasn't missed the chance to take a jab on Detroit recently.
Jalen Green admits wanting to be No. 1 pick, but not in Detroit
Green, like any player who enters the draft, was looking forward to becoming the 2021 draft class first overall pick - but didn't want to live in Detroit, as he told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes in an exclusive interview.
“I wanted to be the No. 1 pick, but as for the location, I didn't want to be in Detroit,” he told Haynes. “I felt a lot more comfortable in Houston. It felt like a real homey 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 may seem like Jalen Green got brutally honest regarding the possibility of being drafted by the Pistons, or for others, it's just a way of taking a shot at them for not making him the first pick. Either way, he has the chance of proving them wrong this season.
