Mavs 121, Timberwolves 136

[Kammrath]

Why would this not be the exact same sentence to have been said about Justin Anderson?

Justin showed almost no intuitive basketball sense from my seat. He never seemed to be a "baller" who had the instincts needed to play at the NBA level. JG has those instincts, making smart plays without hesitation. He just "knows" what to do offense IMO. He just needs his shooting (and rim finishing) to catch up.

[ItsGoTime]

He just needs his shooting (and rim finishing) to catch up.

It’s not in any way a foregone conclusion that it will though. If his offense stagnates next year, how is your optimism then? I’m not saying here that I think it will, just saying there are more similarities to JA than are being made out in these optimistic posts.

---

Also, if it was as easy as saying his shooting just needs to catch up, most every player in the NBA would be a good catch and shoot player.

[fifteenth]

Why would this not be the exact same sentence to have been said about Justin Anderson?

Justin needed a lot more than just shooting! For one, he needed to figure out where to stand, and then where to move to on the floor.

[SleepingHero]

I like how we're arguing over rotation minutes for a rookie who just finished a season averaging a whopping 2.6 points.

Listen I like Josh Green. He showed a lot of growth over the season. He has fantastic energy. He makes great instinctive reads. His defense is there.

He still has a LOOOOONG way to go.

[fifteenth]

I like how we're arguing over rotation minutes for a rookie who just finished a season averaging a whopping 2.6 points.

We're not arguing over a rookie who just finished a season averageing a whopping 2.6 ponts. We are arguing over 

THE FUTURE

---

He still has a LOOOOONG way to go.

Your mom has a long way to go

[Hogmelon]

Your mom has a long way to go

[Chicagojk]

Regarding the Timberwolves, I was impressed by McDaniels last night.   He was one of the guys on my "do not" want list for the draft.  He was pretty bad at Washington.    I watched quite a few of their games because I liked Isaiah Stewart.    I am sure McDaniels has been up and down, but there is something there long term.  

How was Washington so bad with both him and Stewart last year.    I know they were both Freshman, but that team should have been much better.

[fifteenth]

SleepingHero is Luka! Confirmed!

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Justin was an athlete that the Mavs thought they could turn into a basketball player. Josh Green is actually a basketball player. There is not hype in that statement.

With all due respect, my point being was how the membership on this site was predicting great things about him. He had the whole package, athleticism, strength and a ready made NBA body. Green hasn't showed me much other than hustle. That could change sure, but I think they whiffed when they didn't take Bey. But it's probably good they didn't because Carlisle wouldn't play him, like he's doing to Green. Carlisle was notorious for not playing rookies even in Detroit. He didn't playTayShaun Prince. In comes Larry Brown, he put him in as a starter, and Prince turned into one of the best 3&D guys on the best defensive team in the league at the time.

[dirkfansince1998]

With all due respect, my point being was how the membership on this site was predicting great things about him. He had the whole package, athleticism, strength and a ready made NBA body. Green hasn't showed me much other than hustle. That could change sure, but I think they whiffed when they didn't take Bey. But it's probably good they didn't because Carlisle wouldn't play him, like he's doing to Green. Carlisle was notorious for not playing rookies even in Detroit. He didn't playTayShaun Prince. In comes Larry Brown, he put him in as a starter, and Prince turned into one of the best 3&D guys on the best defensive team in the league at the time.

DFS and Brunson disagree.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

DFS and Brunson disagree.

And that's fine by me. Carlisle had to change, it's why he got fired.

[Hogmelon]

I like how we're arguing over rotation minutes for a rookie who just finished a season averaging [arguably not enough rotation minutes].

Fixed it for you (even though I have no dog in this fight).

http://gph.is/2zZhS5H

[SleepingHero]

Fixed it for you (even though I have no dog in this fight).

That's absolutely a fair point. But if we're giving the coaching staff credit, if Green wasn't getting minutes doesn't that mean he hasn't been showing enough to deserve them?

I'm not going to try and read the minds of the coaching staff and instead just look at what Green did while he's on the court. He's extremely good at hustling, rebounding, and defensive stops. He makes instinctive passes on the offensive end when pressured. 

He's made 1-2 plays where he's shown some great touch around the rim too. But other than that he's not assertive on the offensive side of the floor. He largely sits in the corner and disappears. When the ball finds him he looks for a pass. He's a deer in the headlights when it comes to creating his own shot. And it seems like his release is too inconsistent to be a spot up shooter.

That needs to change if he wants to survive more than 3 years in the league and/or be a rotation player. 

In my mind Green went from being China fodder to maybe a rotation player over the season. That enough keeps me interested. But I think we'll be lucky if Green gets 20mpg next year.

[fifteenth]

Were Josh's minutes too few? If the goal was development then the approach seems to have been a success.

[ItsGoTime]

Basically I’m trying to convey that saying a kid just needs a good catch and shoot game makes him no different than any defensive rookie out there. It took years for DFS to get to the point he’s at, and he’s still not exactly where we should want him to be. I hope he catches on very quickly, but I’m not building an offseason plan based on that hope unless I have to based on what we do land.

[KillerLeft]

Basically I’m trying to convey that saying a kid just needs a good catch and shoot game makes him no different than any defensive rookie out there. It took years for DFS to get to the point he’s at, and he’s still not exactly where we should want him to be. I hope he catches on very quickly, but I’m not building an offseason plan based on that hope unless I have to based on what we do land.

...yes, that's clear. I don't agree with it, but it's clear. 

Yes, Green needing an improved shot does indicate that he has something in common with a lot of the folks to which you're referring. But, what I'M saying is that I believe he has OTHER skills (on OFFENSE) that most of them don't. 

Fully agree with the point about shot evolution not being a given. No argument, and that's a necessary evolution, too, or this is all just a stupid internet conversation. 

But, he's got more to his offensive game RIGHT NOW than DFS does (minus shooting), and he shows instincts, both with the ball and without, that are MILES ahead of where Richardson is, and even a little ahead of where THJ is, in some ways. 

My initial reaction to the comparison of Green to Justin Anderson is to snort with derision, but as I said earlier, I don't remember all that much about Anderson. I'll stop short on doubling down on that, but I WILL say that Green is not a "defense only" player, and I mean right now, today.

[ItsGoTime]

But, he's got more to his offensive game RIGHT NOW than DFS does (minus shooting), and he shows instincts, both with the ball and without, that are MILES ahead of where Richardson is, and even a little ahead of where THJ is, in some ways. 

The only thing I'll say that I don't think he has in him at this point that is a big part of what his size would ask for on the court is when you say "with the ball". He has shown less handles than some of the players you've talked about. Sure, when he has the ball in his hands, he knows to pass it and it tends to be a pretty good decision, but his NBA size is that of a small wing, not DFS sized. The DFS sized guys can better get way with not having handles and be more of that catch and shoot guy. 

This is also my issue with all the hopes and dreams that are being thrust upon him in this thread. If he is forced to play backup to DFS because of his limitations, I don't think he becomes as integral a part of a highly successful team, of course, this is from only seeing his rookie season. He showed he can improve and seems to have a head for the game, so I will not put limitations on what he can be other than that.