The Wake Up: Jeff Green
A closer look at the veteran forward and his key role on the Nets this season.
On “The Wake Up,” Alex Squadron, a former writer for SLAM Magazine, and Irv Roland, a basketball skills trainer with over 15 years of NBA experience, highlight the hoopers and stories you’re sleeping on. Follow us on Twitter.
Alex:
The mere fact that Jeff Green is still playing basketball is remarkable.
In January of 2012, Green had open heart surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm. The life-threatening condition had first been discovered during a physical for the Celtics. As Brian Lewis of the New York Post detailed in this story, Green was working out two or three times a day in preparation for his fifth NBA season when doctors found an enlargement of the main valve to his aorta—an abnormality, Lewis noted, that tends to only be revealed after the aorta ruptures, which is usually fatal. Green had the surgery—a five-hour procedure, in which his heart stopped for sixty minutes, that left a nine-inch scar and three sewn-up holes on his chest—and hoped that he would one day return to the court.
What ensued was far from your typical rehab. Green had to teach his lungs to breathe again, starting the long process of training basically from scratch. Not only was he back on the floor for the 2012-13 campaign, but he's gone on to play eight more years, becoming one of just seven members of the 2007 draft class still active today (Kevin Durant, Mike Conley, Al Horford, Marc Gasol, Thaddeus Young, Jared Dudley).
Brooklyn signed Green to a one-year, $2.5 million deal last summer, reuniting him with former Rockets coach and now Nets assistant Mike D'Antoni and ex-teammate in Oklahoma City Kevin Durant. When you compete alongside alphas like KD, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, often the foremost question is: can you hit open shots efficiently? Because the opportunities will inevitably be there.
Each of Brooklyn’s superstars routinely draws double teams and can get to the paint pretty much at will. Though never known as a “knockdown guy,” Green has definitely turned into one, connecting on a career-high 41% of his attempts from beyond the arc this season. His catch-and-shoot effective field goal percentage is a staggering 64%, per NBA tracking data. You could say that’s a natural evolution for a player in the late stages of his career, who’s afforded a lot of good looks due to the attention his teammates command; but still—we’re talking elite level stuff here, and that’s not even Green’s primary game.
At 6-8, 235 pounds, and with rare athleticism for 34 years old, Green has an extremely diverse skill set. He’s been effective out of the pick-and-roll with ball-handlers like Harden and Irving; shows nice touch on a little floater in the lane; nails mid-range jumpers off the bounce; occasionally throws down a vicious one-handed dunk and uses the glass well on difficult lay-ups (like he did on this memorable game-winner against Vanderbilt in the 2007 NCAA Tournament). He can also be a handful to contain in transition, charging forward like a freight train yet finishing with finesse. It’s insane to suggest that the Nets need another scoring option, but Green is the type of player who can put up a quiet 15 or 20 (he’s dropped 15+ seven times this year and is averaging 9.5 points overall) on any given night. In Brooklyn’s usually high-scoring affairs, those buckets can make a huge difference.
More importantly, however, his size and versatility has allowed the Nets to unveil a “small-ball” lineup that’s been unstoppable. Before Durant went down with a hamstring injury, a five-man combination of him, Green, Irving, Harden and Joe Harris was +18 per 100 possessions in 75 minutes together. That’s dominant. Green can rebound (averaging about four per game) and has matched up against guards (35% of the time, per Second Spectrum), forwards (49% of the time) and centers (16%) at various points throughout the season. It remains unclear how the recent additions of forwards Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge will impact Green’s overall role (he’s currently logging 27 minutes per contest), but he’ll continue to be a real factor on this immensely talented roster. No question.
Last thing I’ll note, and it certainly shouldn’t be downplayed: Green’s experience and veteran leadership has been—and will be in the future—absolutely critical. Head coach Steve Nash has called him the “voice of reason” for the group; Durant’s referred to him as a “pro’s pro.” Green has reportedly spoken up at team meetings and in the locker room. He gave a speech after a disappointing loss to the lowly Pistons in early February and the Nets subsequently rattled off eight straight wins.
During his unique career, Green has appeared in countless big games. He helped lead a Georgetown team to the Final Four and has reached the playoffs with six different organizations, counting a run to the NBA Finals with LeBron James and the Cavaliers in 2018. Just last season, he made significant contributions to the Rockets in the bubble, averaging 11.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 12 postseason games. Green doesn’t fear the moment; and for the Nets, the moment is imminent.
“He’s been great on the court, his versatility, his experience and his skill has been really important to us," Nash said in late January. “[But] his maturity, his personality, his leadership, he’s really added a ton to our team in that respect. I’m grateful as a coach to have somebody like that, that commands respect because of his résumé and experience, but also his personality. He commands respect because of the type of person he is: Great human being and great teammate. The guys realize that innately, and therefore his voice matters in our locker room.”
The journey for Green has been long, winding and fraught with obstacles. Now, as a valuable member of this stacked Brooklyn squad, he’s got a chance to win his first NBA championship. And he isn’t taking it lightly.
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Q+A with Green
The Wake Up: When you joined the Nets this past offseason, you reunited with longtime friend Kevin Durant. Can you describe your relationship with him?
Green: Me and KD’s relationship is like brothers. Older and young older. We’re very tight but with space, if that makes sense. Being that I got two kids and am married and he’s young and living life. But whenever we are around each other, the love and respect is always the same.
The Wake Up: You seem to be a great fit with Brooklyn’s “Big Three.” What is it about your game that compliments theirs so well?
Green: Just being a guy that can be plugged in anywhere. Like a Swiss Army knife—that’s a highly-used term around the league.
The Wake Up: Playing with this team, have you changed your approach at all? Is there anything specific you’ve added to your game?
Green: My approach is still the same—go out, play with effort and enjoy the moment. And things I’ve added? I’m not sure. I would use the word consistency. Just trying to stay consistent with my play.
The Wake Up: This squad has thrived with a small-ball lineup where you’re playing big. How have you prepared for that role?
Green: It’s been that way my whole career. I’ve been a guy who’s been plugged in at center sometimes and a guy who can be used as a point forward. Versatile as they come.
The Wake Up: We’re all about getting hoop fans to “wake up.” So what do you want people to know and remember about you and your game?
Green: First, I want fans to know that we are human. We have highs and lows in life as well, but we always have to step on that court and perform each night for the world. What we do is exciting but it can sometimes take a toll on a player mentally and physically, so positive support is needed from the fans. And what do I want them to remember about me? That I literally have and still am giving this game my heart and soul. I love this game. I’m thankful for all the support throughout the years and there are still some great memories to come in my years left.
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Irv:
You won’t find many guys in year 14 moving like Jeff Green. Since he entered the league in 2007, he’s always been the ultimate professional. Everything from his diet to his workouts has been tailored to provide longevity in the NBA. Coming out of Georgetown and well into his tenth year, Jeff was always plugged in as a small or forward. At 6-8, he had the ability to cover athletic 3s but also bang with post up 4s.
Fast forward to age 34 and Jeff is still putting defenders on posters weekly (I’m a semi hater, but Jeff has long arms), but now as a CENTER. The league is completely different than when Jeff was running the floor in Seattle with KD. Teams then were playing two traditional bigs and the pace was a lot slower. Now with “small-ball” and a more analytics-driven game, Green fits perfect as a 5.
With his rare ability to not only handle the ball, but also be a lob threat and now shoot the three ball at a 41% clip, he’s helped give the Nets a center that can provide tons of versatility when on the floor. Whether it’s putting pressure on the rim in pick-and-roll situations with Harden, or providing floor spacing for KD and Kyrie ISOs, Jeff’s value is at an all-time high with this team.
More often than not, he’s matched up with players that don’t possess his foot speed and with that, he’s able take advantage of not only transition opportunities, but also break slower bigs down off the bounce. With players like Durant, Irving, Harden, Griffin and now Aldridge on the floor, the spacing is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. With Joe Harris and Landry Shamet in the mix also, it gives Green the ability to make plays and create freely. That freedom is allowing him to shoot the highest effective field goal percentage of his career.
Long gone are the days of teams consistently putting a 6-9 and a 7-0 big on the block and playing rugged basketball. Basketball is position-less and I advise players of all ages and all sizes to focus on every part of their game. Jeff Green has always been a strong, athletic, match-up problem in the NBA; but now with this lineup, we’re able to see why he’s so important for a team with title aspirations.
Training insight: Through the years, I’ve had the chance to work with Jeff. One thing I like to focus on with him is pick-and-pop situations into shots or ISOs. I’ll have him set up in the lane and spring into a high pick-and-pop. When the ball handler comes off the screen, Jeff will pop to the three-point line and can either shoot the three if the token defender is sagging off, or attack off the bounce if the defender closes out tight. Like we talked about earlier, Jeff is going to be quicker than most of his defenders, so once he catches and attacks, we want to try and force him to change direction at least once, making the drill more game-like and somewhat difficult. We switch up the angle of the screen as well, which helps Jeff with his footwork into the three-point shot. The drill is also a good conditioning tool—we have Jeff go until he makes a certain number of threes or even a certain number of dunks.
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Also, don’t sleep on…
-James Harden’s MVP campaign. With LeBron James (high ankle sprain) and Joel Embiid (bone bruise in knee) sidelined, the field has opened up. Over the weekend, in response to a question about the award, Harden told reporters matter-of-factly, “I feel like I’m the MVP.” Well, he’s averaging 25.9 points, a league-leading 11.1 assists and a career-high 8.2 rebounds, while shooting 46% from the field (his second most efficient season since entering the league in 2009). Oh, and the Nets are the No. 1 seed in the East for the first time in 18 years.
-The Hornets. Even without LaMelo (fractured wrist), Charlotte has played solid basketball, beating San Antonio, Houston, Miami and Washington and taking the 32-14 Phoenix Suns to overtime. They’re currently the fourth seed in the East.
-The Kings. No, Sacramento won’t be making any real noise this season. But they’ve proven to be a tough opponent of late, going 7-2 in their last nine. Amid that stretch, De’Aaron Fox had a string of four games in which he averaged 36.8 points and 5.5 assists on 64% shooting.
-Zion Williamson. Not that any serious person could really be sleeping on Zion at this point, but here are his numbers in March: 28.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists, shooting 65% from the field. He isn’t human. Following the Pelicans win over Dallas on Saturday, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle compared him to Shaq, saying: "This is a Shaquille O’Neal-type force of nature with a point guard skill set.”
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Slept-on “On This Date”
April 1, 2009: Kings guard Kevin Martin dropped 50 points (11/22 from the field, 5/11 from three, 23/26 from the line) in a 143-141 overtime loss to the Warriors. Monta Ellis had 42 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds for Golden State.
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Prior posts:
Follow Irv Roland and Alex Squadron on Twitter. Videos via Spectrum. Logo by Oliver Baltay.