Longtime Boston Celtics analyst compares Jalen Green to Kobe Bryant

Longtime Boston Celtics analyst Bill Simmons believes Jalen Green has been playing like a young Kobe Bryant amidst the Houston Rockets' eight-game winning streak and 10-1 overall record in March.

“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 (h/t Lakers Daily). “Not like three-rings-in-a-row Kobe, but that late ’90s Kobe, where it was like, ‘Man, there’s a lot here. What’s goin’ 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?”

Green...has been playing like a young Kobe in many ways. While Green's assist numbers are comparatively low to Bryant's during the early-to-mid 2000s, the scoring and rebounding numbers -- Green is averaging 27.8 PPG and 5.7 RPG in March -- are remarkably similar.

Boston Celtics analyst Bill Simmons not disrespecting Kobe Bryant with Jalen Green comp

You just know Los Angeles Lakers fans are going to take this comment the wrong way. There's a high likelihood too that Green's personal life will be brought up by this very fanbase.

In no way was Simmons disrespecting Bryant; who has been revered by every fanbase, including Celtics fans, since he tragically passed away, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, in a January 2020 helicopter crash. If anything, he was comparing an otherworldly performance to a man most synonymous with scoring outbursts.

The comp is a good one, and if Green continues it, the Houston Rockets could be a team to watch in the NBA Play-in Tournament.