Jeff Green started off Media Day with a bang. According to Celtics.com, he said his goal this season was to make the All-Star team
“Individually, I would like to make the All-Star team,” “I think that’s one of my big goals.”
This wasn’t one of your typical ‘I want’ comments, Jeff said this with determination and could this be the season he puts it all together and achieves his potential?
I know, I know we’ve been talking about Jeff Green and potential for way too long. Ever since he was traded to Boston from Oklahoma City in 2010 we have raved about his potential to be great.
He showed flashes of his abilities as he played with Rondo, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett in his return from heart surgery in 2012. Green encouraged fans with his athletic ability and high octane game in transition.
After a remarkable performance in the first round series against the Knicks in 2012 that saw him post a stat line of 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists over 6 games, many people though he was ready to take the next step into stardom
As we all know, Pierce and Garnett were traded to Brooklyn that summer and Rajon Rondo was already out with his ACL injury that he had suffered earlier during the 2012-2013 season, and the team was suddenly thrust onto Jeff’s shoulders.
He was able to average a career best 16.9 points per game last season, which was tops on the team, but many people felt he was too inconsistent with his performances and would never blossom into the player he could be.
Green is now 28 years old and should be entering the prime of his career, as most players do between the ages of 27 and 31. After criticism on his play during the 2013-2014 season, Green went to work with a point to prove this summer.
Here’s a few comments from Jeff on what he did this offseason courtesy of Celtics.com,
“I’ve been working out in the gym a lot,” a visibly bulked up Green said. “I’ve put on some weight.”
“There’s so much that I have to have my eye on, but I try to conquer everything,” he said, alluding to his versatile floor game. “I think I did a good job of that this summer. So I’ve just got to transfer it into the season.”
Jeff added on 10 pounds of muscle and specifically began to target his defense. He has enlisted veteran forward and former All-Star Gerald Wallace to help him improve on that side of the ball.
And had this to say on his work with Wallace,
“We’ve been talking and he’s going to turn me into a defensive-minded guy first, because that’s when I can get on the break and do what I do in transition.”
Brad Stevens seemed fairly pleased with Jeff Green early on in training camp,
“You can kind of tell by the pace with which he’s worked, even when he was working individuals before today, he’s got a different step about him than he did last year in that early-season work at least,”
Stevens went on to say he was in great shape and he could definitely tell Green had improved.
Jeff believes he has put in the work to become an All-Star, and maybe this is the year everything comes together and he becomes the go-to guy people have envisioned him as for so long.
Green is a monster in the open court with his supreme athleticism and if offense and defensive come along as far as he said it will this season, then All-Star status is definitely achievable.
He’s talked the talk early on this preseason, lets see if he walks the walk and has the most spectacular year of his career.
I think Jeff Green has the talent to be a top player and definitely an All-Star in the NBA. He has proved he has first class athleticism and is a beast in transition.
I think working with Gerald Wallace will definitely bring his defense up to another caliber and allow him to be a force on both ends of the court, defensive stops and forced turnovers will equal more transition opportunities for Green.
If he can get past the mental part of his game, which seems to be to involve everyone and not try to take over games, then I believe he can take the necessary steps this season to definitely be in the consideration for the All-Star team.
The only problem is the east is stacked at his position with stars LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. And we can’t sleep on rising talent such as Tobias Harris and MKG. Veteran forwards such as Paul Pierce and Loul Deng could also be in consideration.
But if the East continues the trend that they had last season when it came to All-Star selection, which voted in LeBron as the starting Center, Melo as the starting Power Forward, and Paul George as the starting Small Forward, then I think Green has a good chance to make the team as long as he shows the improvement that he has talked about so far when the games actually start, and becomes a true threat night in and night out on this Celtics team.
What do you think? Can Jeff Green become an All-Star?
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