Analyst Bill Simmons Compares Rising NBA Star To Young Kobe Bryant

NBA icon Kobe Bryant was one of the most competitive basketball players of all time. He was brilliant on the floor and young fans looked up to him. The Mamba mentality is still present and many players try to follow the pattern. According to NBA analyst Bill Simmons, a young NBA star could be the next Kobe.

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green turns heads every time he hits the floor. The Rockets offense relies on him and Green plays elite basketball, delivering 21.4 shots per game.

The Rockets celebrated a great win on March 25, and Green stole the spotlight again. He finished the night with 27 points and 6 rebounds. The talented guard averages 27.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.

Simmons likes his potential and Green actually reminds him of Kobe. The NBA analysts claims that Green looks like Kobe from the 1990s.

Bill Simmons says that watching Jalen Green in March, he's reminded of a young, late-90s Kobe Bryant.

"Watching him the last couple of weeks, it's like, man, if you were just drawing a two-guard from scratch, from a scoring standpoint, what kind of move or shot doesn't he have?" pic.twitter.com/4TBtrxxTMx

— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) March 25, 2024

“I’m gonna say this very carefully, and I know what’s at stake, and I know he’s not gonna be this person, but when I watch him, he reminds me — this version of the attacking the rim and then the jump shooting — reminds me a little of young Kobe,” Simmons said of Green.

“No like three-rings-in-a-row Kobe, but that late ’90s Kobe, where it was like, ‘Man, there’s a lot here. What’s going on here?’ And watching him the last couple weeks, it’s like, man, if you were just drawing a 2-guard from scratch, from a scoring standpoint, what kinda move or shot doesn’t he have?”

The young NBA star follows the scheme Kobe set up back in the days

Green is 22 and will probably have a great future in the NBA. It’s interesting to note that the Rockets almost traded him. They wanted to send him and a few first-round picks to Brooklyn and get Mikal Bridges. Luckily, it didn’t happen.

“The Rockets called the Nets on Mikal Bridges and I’m told they discussed a concept around Jalen Green and multiple first-round picks. That deal was not accepted by the Nets. And now look…”@ShamsCharania on Jalen Green and the Houston Rockets. pic.twitter.com/i8uEpnjDEb

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 25, 2024

The Rockets should keep Green around for a while and use his potential to secure the offense. Having him around could help them beat tough opponents.