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Josh Green: Defensive prowess and offensive indecisiveness
Since the mavs rookie gets some harsh criticism and blatant player comparisions after his first NBA games, I'd like to share my thoughts and clips regarding his latest showings and why we shouldn’t be this quick to judge
Since the mavs rookie gets some harsh criticism and blatant player comparisions after his first NBA games, I'd like to share my thoughts and clips regarding his latest showings and why we shouldn’t be this quick to judge
Yes, it’s pretty obvious why the media and fans are underwhemled/frustrated with his on court production so far: 12 MPG (11G), 1,7 PPG, 2,2 RPG, 0,5 APG & 0,2 SPG while posting a usage rate of 9% and an Offensive Rating of 89. Seems bad, but it’s a bit more complex than that.
I was high on Green coming into the league because of his offensive skillset (hitting open shots, attacking off closeouts and finding the open man) and the value it offers next to a primary wing creator like Luka. Same it's true for his archetype as quick, switchable PoA-Defender
For context: At Arizona, Green spent most of this time on offense next to playmaker Nico Mannion, fulfilling the role of a pure 3&Slash-Wing. But he also flashed his passing abilities from time to time – esp. in the open court and against moving defenses.
We've already witnessed his willingness as a passer who's making plays for his teammeates. As one might expect, it was more evident in transition than in halfcourt-offense. His touch pass for the cutting JJ brought back memories of Arizona-Green.
This is an awesome play: Green cuts to the basket, but instead of going for the contested reverse-layup, he kicks it out to Terry while keeping his body balance mid-air. Pay attention to how quickly Green recognizies that Flynn is rotating to the corner and how he adjusts to it.
There’ve been some situations in halfcourt where Green tried to generate scoring oppurtunities with his off-ball cuts. For example: Here, KP missed the the right moment to pass the ball to Green out of the double team. Green could’ve finished at the rim or kicked it out to JJ.
When facing set defenses, his indecisiveness and decision-making are the greatest weaknesses: He needs to take open shots without hesitation to mitigate his lack of off-ball gravity going forward. In college, he hit 45% of his unguarded catch-and-shoot takes. Just let 'em fly.
Green isn't much of a versatile shooter and better off used as a stationary C&S-guy. But I'm not a fan of his footwork and he needs to speed up his motion. His shooting splits since 2018/19 (AAU, NCAA, NBA) are encouraging:
2FG: 180/343 (52%)
3FG: 55/145 (38%)
FT: 133/187 (71%)
2FG: 180/343 (52%)
3FG: 55/145 (38%)
FT: 133/187 (71%)
Enough from his offensive struggles and the glimmers of hope, let's get to the most intriguing part of his game: PoA-Defense. We knew that Green can make his presence felt because of his quick feet, mirroring ability and positional strength.
The way he contains dribble penetrations has been really fascinating. Some sequences against Lowry and White.
But it's not just his perimeter-defense where he's great staying in front of guys. Green also tries to make plays as a team-defender. Here, he tags roll-man Boucher in the post to deny the entry pass, then recovers to his man in the corner and stunts on the drive by Powell.
I've already came up with a clip of Green's D. to support @MavsDraft in his case. Matter of fact, there've been numerous scenes of Green helping out at the nail, stunting on penetrations or just playing active helpside-D. He's really showing effort without too much gambling.
This is great team-defense by the Mavs, forcing a bad shot/TO which leads to a transition opportunity. And it's the same pattern in the first place: Green keeping the ballhandler (Ball) in check, digs on the drives. Too bad Burke couldn't hit the triple after the kickout-pass.
One bad defensive habit that Greens seems to struggle with: Not falling for the pump fakes. Here, he slides well with Bacon and even stays in front of him down the block. That's where his hyperactivity starts to hurt him as he gave up a good defensive stance just to make a play.
Conclusion: It's been a rocky start to his NBA career, no doubt. But there've been some nice flashes - most of them just don't show up in the scoreboard. So, #MFFL 
please give this young man some time to find his role in the offense. In the meanwhile, he'll defend his ass off.
please give this young man some time to find his role in the offense. In the meanwhile, he'll defend his ass off.
