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G League: Fil-Am Jalen Green stays in top 5, Kai off the radar in NBA mock drafts

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<p>US-based Filipino Jalen Green remained in the top 5 in mock drafts posted recently on NBA prospects, as homegrown center Kai Sotto was shunned on draft experts&#x27; rankings.</p><p>Green and G League Ignite teammate Jonathan Kuminga ranked third and fifth, respectively in <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2021-nba-draft-big-board-oklahoma-states-cade-cunningham-leads-first-prospect-rankings/">CBS Sports</a>&#x27; rankings; in <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2926421-nba-mock-draft-who-is-the-top-prospect-2-weeks-into-2021">Bleacher Report&#x27;s</a> list, Kuminga was No. 5 and Green No. 3.</p><p>Oklahoma State freshman point guard Cade Cunningham projected as the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.</p><p>Of Green, CBS Sports said: &quot;He&#x27;s an athletic marvel and shot-hunter whose talent at every level he&#x27;s played at — including on the Olympic circuit — have been validated.&quot;</p><p>Bleacher Report added that Green&#x27;s &quot;ball skills and shooting are catching up to the explosiveness and quickness.&quot;</p><p>But it said: &quot;Questions about inefficiency, playmaking and defense could cause Green to fall behind Cunningham, (Evan) Mobley, Kuminga and Jalen Suggs, but he won&#x27;t drop much further.</p><p>&quot;(Green&#x27;s) scoring upside is as high as anyone&#x27;s in the draft.&quot;</p><p>Meanwhile, Sotto&#x27;s name came up in the latest list released by <a href="https://nbadraftroom.com/p/2021-2nd-round/">NBA Draft Room</a> at 65th place. ESPN had him at 99th.</p><p>&quot;Tall and smooth with an emerging game, Sotto has filled out his frame well over the past few years. He’s looking stronger and quicker and more like an NBA player,&quot; NBA Draft Room&#x27;s note on Sotto said.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">New Facts:<br/>Height 7’3<br/>Wingspan 7’5<br/>Continue to WATCH ME WORK</p>— Kai Sotto (@kzsottolive) <a href="https://twitter.com/kzsottolive/status/1349491006740312067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2021</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Sotto, who recently revealed he grew by an inch to 7-foot-3 as he continued to work on his game ahead of his NBA G League debut, has said he would not be affected by mock draft results.</p><p>&quot;Continue to WATCH ME WORK,&quot; Sotto, also Green&#x27;s teammate at Ignite, tweeted.</p><p>&quot;I think I&#x27;m not putting too much attention to the rankings,&quot; the former Ateneo high-school standout said in a <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/13/20/kai-sotto-not-paying-attention-to-rankings-mock-drafts-ahead-of-g-league-debut">previous report</a>.</p><p>&quot;I know what I&#x27;m capable of doing. And, me and my dad, my dad always tells me that, &#x27;Don&#x27;t think about it too much because you&#x27;re just gonna focus on your improvement as a player and as a person.&#x27; So, for me that doesn&#x27;t really matter as much.&quot;</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3QrmopoBtfo?enablejsapi=1"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CH_x9sgDQQd/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div 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<p>US-based Filipino Jalen Green remained in the top 5 in mock drafts posted recently on NBA prospects, as Sotto was shunned on draft experts' rankings.</p>

US-based Filipino Jalen Green remained in the top 5 in mock drafts posted recently on NBA prospects, as Sotto was shunned on draft experts' rankings.