Jalen Working Out For Celtics

[Nebraskan18]

I've dreamt that Jalen becomes a regular on the roster for the Celtics since his freshman year. Really hope he can land there and scratch out some role on the team at some point.

 

[Austin316]

He worked out with the Raptors earlier this week

 

[SeattleHoop]

He has it in him. He can do it

 

[WrenchFan69]

C's about to have a ton of playing time available at point guard lol

 

[the Q]

From a Celtics POV:

I’d rather the Celtics take a shot on Jeremiah Martin.


From a UConn fan POV:

I hope jalen says blow it out your @ss and reaches his potential in the more open NBA game. Cause I hear the Celtics will have an opening at pg this summer.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Ainge is pretty good at finding guys who are just good basketball players. I think Jalen will thrive in an NBA with spacing where he isn’t the defensive focus.

 

[husky429]

I don't know if hell ever be a good enough shooter for the league. Hoping im wrong

 

[AZHuskiePop]

His offense doesn’t worry me as much as his commitment to defense.
His court vision is his best asset especially in the more spread NBA game.

 

[SeattleHoop]

I don't know if hell ever be a good enough shooter for the league. Hoping im wrong

If he would have tightened that up along w drawing more fouls he could have possibly carried us through AAC tourney. Everything else he does on offense is exactly what you want in a pro guard imo

 

[uconnbill]

He could use time in the D-League to work on his overall ball handling and three point shooting. I think he can play in the league, but that is up to him.

Good luck Jalen

 

[the Q]

If he would have tightened that up along w drawing more fouls he could have possibly carried us through AAC tourney. Everything else he does on offense is exactly what you want in a pro guard imo

He could use time in the D-League to work on his overall ball handling and three point shooting. I think he can play in the league, but that is up to him.

Good luck Jalen

Worse shooters have improved significantly once they got into the league.

It’s not impossible. But if he can tighten that up and his conditioning he can get some run off the bench.

 

[Hoophound]

Shooting is learned. Jalen has decent mechanics. He just needs a shooting coach and a lot of repetition. Kemba is a perfect example of how far effort can take your shooting. Adams could be a great shooter. The rest of his offensive game is NBA ready.

My biggest concern with Jalen is on defense. He needs more strength for the NBA and his body doesn’t seem to change much. He needs to work much harder in the weight room.

 

[husky429]

If he would have tightened that up along w drawing more fouls he could have possibly carried us through AAC tourney. Everything else he does on offense is exactly what you want in a pro guard imo

Sure. But shooting is item 1,2, 3 and 4 on the list of skills, unfortunately

 

[UconnFanNVa]

Good for him. As frustrating as Jalen was to watch at Uconn, I have a feeling he's going to be one of those guys that fits better in the NBA than in college. I hope he finds his way and has success.

 

[Kembacity]

Go to BKN Kyrie, and then Kemba will sign with the Celtics and Jalen can be a D-League late pick for them and learn under Kemba. Then my dream will be complete, muahahahahahaha

 

[Pudge]

I don't know if hell ever be a good enough shooter for the league. Hoping im wrong

I don’t think any of us thought Kemba Walker was a good shooter when we first saw him. Up to the individual. Practice Practice Practice

 

[HuskyHawk]

Sure. But shooting is item 1,2, 3 and 4 on the list of skills, unfortunately

And it's one of the easiest things to get better at. Magic Johnson couldn't shoot from outside when he got to the NBA. Look at Jordan's early 3pt% Michael Jordan Stats | Basketball-Reference.com

When you focus on basketball as 100% of your time, shooting is a pretty easy thing to improve. It's the other skills that are hard, and he's got most of those. He does need to get more comfortable with contact. I think Jalen is under-valued at the moment, because the weaknesses of his game are the things that are easy to fix. His strengths like court vision, awareness, shooting off motion, body control, those are hard to learn.

 

[UconnU]

We can really use Jalen getting drafted, feels like we haven’t had a player drafted in forever. I can see a team taking a shot at him with a late 2nd round pick. He is certainly gifted offensively.

 

[superjohn]

And it's one of the easiest things to get better at. Magic Johnson couldn't shoot from outside when he got to the NBA. Look at Jordan's early 3pt% Michael Jordan Stats | Basketball-Reference.com

When you focus on basketball as 100% of your time, shooting is a pretty easy thing to improve. It's the other skills that are hard, and he's got most of those. He does need to get more comfortable with contact. I think Jalen is under-valued at the moment, because the weaknesses of his game are the things that are easy to fix. His strengths like court vision, awareness, shooting off motion, body control, those are hard to learn.

But he had four seasons to fix those flaws and it never really happened. Can't really shoot threes it's still an ineffective set shot, never really developed his left, and never learned how to create contact. You could overlook some of the flaws if he was a freak athlete or a really good defender but he's not. Not really seeing what he brings to a team at the next level.

 

[AfgHusky15]

But he had four seasons to fix those flaws and it never really happened. Can't really shoot threes it's still an ineffective set shot, never really developed his left, and never learned how to create contact. You could overlook some of the flaws if he was a freak athlete or a really good defender but he's not. Not really seeing what he brings to a team at the next level.

Jalen has good handle, is very crafty, decent height for a PG, and has pretty good athleticism. He shot the ball from within the arc at a pretty high percentage, especially for a high shooting volume guard.

When he sets his feet he is a pretty good shooter from the 3. His biggest weakness has been drawing fouls/playing physical. He needs to improve his strength/body and be less contact shy.

At the end of the day I could still see a few teams taking a chance on him late 2nd round. Best case scenario is his game can blossom in the more open space and fast paced basketball that is the NBA. He will also get a boost by playing with much more talented teammates than he has been accustomed to the last few years.

 

[Kembacity]

Jalen has good handle, is very crafty, decent height for a PG, and has pretty good athleticism. He shot the ball from within the arc at a pretty high percentage, especially for a high shooting volume guard.

When he sets his feet he is a pretty good shooter from the 3. His biggest weakness has been drawing fouls/playing physical. He needs to improve his strength/body and be less contact shy.

At the end of the day I could still see a few teams taking a chance on him late 2nd round. Best case scenario is his game can blossom in the more open space and fast paced basketball that is the NBA. He will also get a boost by playing with much more talented teammates than he has been accustomed to the last few years.

Exactly this, I don't think he's going to be a dynamite NBA player, but we have to consider the fact that for years he's been one of the only offensive tools defending teams had to focus on. You throw him into an NBA game where no one is worried about what he's doing and he should be able to have an easier time scoring points

 

[joober jones]

I doubt he'll be drafted, but he'll certainly be on a summer league roster somewhere. Here's hoping he makes the most of whatever opportunities come his way.

 

[Kenny11]

We can really use Jalen getting drafted, feels like we haven’t had a player drafted in forever. I can see a team taking a shot at him with a late 2nd round pick. He is certainly gifted offensively.

I think it would be a smart idea for a team to take a chance on him in the second round. But a lot of NBA teams would rather take a chance on a similarly rated guard who is 2-3 years younger.

He's really going to have to make splash in the summer league.

 

[HuskyHawk]

But he had four seasons to fix those flaws and it never really happened. Can't really shoot threes it's still an ineffective set shot, never really developed his left, and never learned how to create contact. You could overlook some of the flaws if he was a freak athlete or a really good defender but he's not. Not really seeing what he brings to a team at the next level.

Three of those were with KO as his coach. He was out crashing scooters. He's an easy going kid and was allowed to be a bit too casual about his development. One off-season with Hurley and his efficiency went way up. College also doesn't afford the practice time that the NBA does.

My only question is whether he's motivated enough to put in the work. If he is, he can turn himself into a solid bench PG in the NBA. He gets the mental side of the game, and in a ball motion focused modern offense that should allow him to thrive. He would absolutely fit in on a Brad Stevens coached team.

 

[husky429]

And it's one of the easiest things to get better at. Magic Johnson couldn't shoot from outside when he got to the NBA. Look at Jordan's early 3pt% Michael Jordan Stats | Basketball-Reference.com

When you focus on basketball as 100% of your time, shooting is a pretty easy thing to improve. It's the other skills that are hard, and he's got most of those. He does need to get more comfortable with contact. I think Jalen is under-valued at the moment, because the weaknesses of his game are the things that are easy to fix. His strengths like court vision, awareness, shooting off motion, body control, those are hard to learn.

100% agree that shooting is easier to improve than other skills. Especially with a dedicated shooting coach that most teams have these days in the NBA.

But our successful guards (and most 3-4 year college players) you see significant and noticable improvements in their game. That is not the case with Jalen. I think he's gotten by with the same skill set since he was a kid and hasn't really learned how to be a learner on the court. Some players are just sort of like that, regardless of work ethic.

Now if it's a work ethic issue, he's not making the league no matter what. But I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

If he can become a 3rd PG for a decent team, I'd be ecstatic. Hoping for the best.