09-01-2023, 05:36 PM
(09-01-2023, 03:07 PM)surfpuckmd Wrote: I agree he hasn't had a good showing on offense.
However, I think it's difficult to draw conclusions based on FIBA play.
Australia heavily featured Patty Mills and Josh Giddy offensively. Giddy is understandable as he is really talented but they played Patty Mills as if he were Allen Iverson. They also seem to have a hierarchy where their older vets play more minutes and get more shots- especially Joe Ingles and Patty Mills.
The offense seemed to be let Josh Giddy drive to the basket or have Patty Mills create offense. Green was an afterthought. He was also recovering from two separate injuries, I believe- an ankle sprain and an elbow injury.
He looked really active defensively as we would expect.
I think Green played well for the Mavericks last season. He is probably our best defensive player and he hit over 40% from 3. The 3-point shooting improvement has been tremendous. I think we're all hoping he can become more assertive offensively but the player he became last season has a lot of value for us. With Luka, Kyrie, THJ and Hardy, we have a lot of guys who take a lot of shots. I think we have a need for several good 3 and D players and Green is currently our best 3 and D. The fact that he can handle the ball, pass and occasionally make some cuts to the basket I believe makes him a quality starter. I expect him to become our 3rd-best player this coming season. I hope they go ahead and extend him this summer. I like the progression he has made over the past two seasons- even if he didn't finish last season very well.
I think what you are describing is basically "a Bullock" in his good year. If Josh is "just" that, is he really so irreplaceable, not to be considered as possible to include in a trade? What if his value today is still higher than a value of a Bullock like player, because teams still value his potential? Wouldn't it make more sense to trade him now for a higher value than what he might ever be?
As for other guys, I have been saying for years, that THJ is not the right fit for this team and Mavs seem to agree. He takes a lot of shots, but his defense is not good enough to play next to Luka and Irving, imho. He is not bad defensively, just not good enough. He is also not a creator on offense to justify a scoring 6th man role, as his best games are coming playing next to Luka and feeding from his assists. Hardy has the potential to be more than that. So, if you take THJ out of equation, I think other players would need to step up and be more assertive offensively. Does Green have it in him? Or is he just a "5 shots per game" player? And if he is just a "5 shots per game" player, is he still a starter? Perhaps 5th best man, but certainly not 3rd best.
Don't get me wrong. I am not pushing for a necessary trade. Just pointing out things that should be imho considered. I certainly don't have enough information. I am just wandering if he can ever become more than "a Bullock".