“Don’t Compare Him to Jaylen Brown”: Charles Barkley Wasn’t Pleased With Kenny Smith Drawing a Parallel With Jalen Green

With 90% of the playoff brackets locked and loaded, NBA analysts are gearing up for the most competitive two-month stretch of the basketball calendar. Comparisons between players have become a regular topic now, and everyone’s favorite — the Inside The NBA crew decided to dip their toes in the water today, too.

Resident Rockets fan Kenny Smith had a relatively bolder take on the show, claiming Jalen Green, under Ime Udoka’s tutelage, could blossom into a bona fide superstar this playoffs. His exact words were, “I do think in this series, Ime Udoka changes Jalen Green into what he did with Jaylen Brown.”

For context, Udoka coached the Celtics from 2021 to 2023, crafting Brown into the All-Star player he is today. On the surface, Kenny’s claim doesn’t seem farfetched. Udoka is a sensational coach, and Green certainly has the skill to be crafted into a Brown-esque player.

Well, Charles Barkley doesn’t think so. As soon as Kenny made his statement, there was a loud sigh of disapproval from Chuck, who waited till Kenny was finished with his explanation to chime in with his thoughts.

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1912375529606381629

Kenny explained how Green simply needs to add consistency in his game, as he has a habit of exploding for 30 points one game and then not even reaching double figures the next. He added that Udoka could teach the young guard how to bring that into his game.

Once he was done, Barkley spoke. “Yeah, he got to work on that,” he said when talking about Green’s consistency, but added, “but don’t compare him to Jaylen Brown.”

Green and Brown are almost identical when it comes to their regular season numbers, with the Rockets man tipping the Celtics man in points and assists per game. Their defensive numbers are also similar, with Brown’s 1 steal per game and 0.4 blocks per game just edging Green’s 0.8 and 0.3.

Their defensive ratings are eerily similar, too. Green has a rating of 113.6, whereas Brown has a defensive rating of 112 this season. The Rockets’ guard also has the bonus of being a more talented scorer than Brown, albeit far more inconsistent.

Brown has the advantage of playing 4 more years than Green, so he has matured into a more effective player than the former #2 pick. However, Brown has something that Green lacks – post-season experience. Brown has been to the playoffs every season of his career, whereas young Green hasn’t made it that far yet.

In the end, player comparisons are something the media will never stop doing, even if it is unfair to either of the players. Jalen Green could potentially blossom into a two-way player that matches Jaylen Brown, but it’s all down to how willing he is to learn from his coach.