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Green has proved throughout his career that he can score (13.9 ppg), rebound (5.5 rpg) and shoot from distance (34 percent from 3-point range), and still carries the reputation of being a skilled facilitator from his college days at Georgetown.
Look for Green to come in and spell Pierce at the 3 and Bass at the 4. He’ll also give coach Rivers another scorer off the bench who, along with veteran newcomer Jason Terry, can facilitate the offense for a defense-minded second unit that’s expected to also include NBA vets Courtney Lee and Chris Wilcox, and promising first-round pick Jared Sullinger.
ESPN Insider – Jeff Green’s potential impact
I know what you’re thinking… Another post about Jeff Green? I agree that we’ve beaten to death his contract and potential effectiveness in Boston. But this article offers a fresh perspective, one that portrays Green as an offensive facilitator.
When I think facilitator, I think of someone with a point guard mentality. Someone who takes command and helps others score. Green’s a decent ball-handler for his size, but I’ve never heard anyone rave about his leadership and passing skills. His versatility – ability to shoot from and mid-range, post-up smaller 3s, and slash to the basket – will certainly help the second unit. In that regard, he’ll facilitate offense for the bench. But is he capable of running the offense? I’m not so sure.
ESPN’s Joe Kaiser also brings up the P word – Posey:
And while we’re talking Posey, that’s probably a good starting point in terms of what we can expect from Green statistically in 2012-13. During the C’s championship season, Posey averaged 7.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 1.5 apg and shot 38 percent from 3-point range in 24.6 minutes a game.
According to the SCHOENE projection system by Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus, Green’s numbers are expected to be very similar next season: 25 mpg, 10.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.1 apg and 35.2 percent from 3-point range.
One area to watch is Green’s aggressiveness on offense. Synergy Stats shows that he’s been primarily a spot-up shooter and post-up player over his four-year career. A shift toward more cuts to the basket and points in transition is the next step in his development.
I’m not ready to draw this comparison. Jeff Green is a more highly skilled player than James Posey. But Posey was CLUTCH. He was ‘grit and balls’ before KG coined the phrase. Those numbers (7.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg) are not a fair representation of his impact on the 2008 team.
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