GAME 59: DAL (35-24) vs. NOP (23-36): 125-118 WIN!

[dirkfansince1998]

I have hammered Josh Green in another thread, but it's hard to ignore this game.

This is a game that Green should have been more active in. He started the game and had 0 points in 25 minutes. More worrisome is that he only had two attempts. If you play 25 minutes and only have two attempts, then you're pretty much inactive without the ball. You're playing with Luca Doncic and you're about the fastest guy in the lineup. How difficult can it be to get open?

When Green scores in double digits it's usually because opportunities have found him, but these games seem random. He gets some transition buckets or some putbacks. Occasionally an open three. But he's not making these buckets happen. 

Somebody said about his play in the game thread, "rookie mistake"... forgetting that he's not a rookie. Let me be clear, I'm perfectly happy with him starting games like this because the more minutes he gets this season, the more we are going to find out. My personal feeling is that he needs to be packaged in a trade. There's not much of an excuse for two attempts in 25 minutes of play. Two assists. Three rebounds. Those are barely Frankie numbers and Frankie has never played 25 minutes.

I mentioned the rookie mistakes and I think he still qualifies for that category. He just turned 21 and barely played in a season with COVID restrictions that impacted team practice. I wasn´t a fan of the pick (still prefer Bey and Bane) but Green improved a lot and earned a spot in the rotation. He has played in every single game since 12/27. I don´t care about the number of FG attempts. Green isn´t asked to create or score. He has been one of the better defenders and makes the kind of hustle plays that you try to dismiss as opportunities that found ihm. Of course it would be even better if he develops a reliable 3-ball but I think he is on the right trajectory.

I absolutely think that the Mavs need more patience when it comes to young players. Even first round picks. Prematurely giving up on a player like Green is exactly what the old Mavs would have done. Can only hope that the new regime thinks differently.

We have a young player that is playing 20 minutes per game in the last few weeks making less than three million. He isn´t the problem. Mavs would be in a good spot if they had more players of his quality on rookie contracts. If they would invest into draft picks instead of using them as trade assets. If they would invest more into the development of young players instead of giving up roster spots for players like Burke or Boban. If they would at least care enough to actually use the available two-way spots.