Jeff Green's DraftExpress profile: he was a good passer/playmaker

[Chris]

Why would playing power forward limit his passing?  You can be a passer out of any position.

Would it not? I'm under the impression playing out of position would impact more than your scoring and defense.

He played PF in college in the post, his passing was based on playing that position from the high post (and low at times)

Yeah, but physically, he was not at a mismatch at PF in college.  So he _might_ be more comfortable as a facilitator against SFs - you know, a lot of the guys who, like him, were playing PF/C in college ... 

I don't think this is true, Jeff Green was absolutely a mistmatch at PF in college. A NBA level athlete at his size and skill level is a big mismatch for the vast majority of college forwards. He was too quick for guys his own size and too big for smaller players in the post.

Very few NBA caliber PFs were around to punish him on the other end like what happens when he plays PF in the pros.

Yeah, I think this is the case (although I am not sure I am seeing the connection with passing). 

I still think Green is a guy who we have not seen play in a situation that fits him for an extented period of time in the NBA.

In OKC, I think he was miscast, because he not only was playing out of position mostly at PF, but he also was playing with guys who really needed the ball as much as possible, and didn't allow him to facilitate.

And in Boston, he came into a terrible situation, where he was once again forced to play out of position almost exclusively because of injuries, and had to fit in to the system, and with some huge egos with very little time to acclimate...and while the wheels were coming off the tracks around him.

So, while I understand the idea that we have the book on the guy already, I do think there is a strong cases that there is still a decent amount of mystery to what he can do, playing on a team that really is based on good ball movement, which I think is a strength of his.

And lets remember that this C's system has had a way of getting the best out of players, and helping them perform better than they have elsewhere (Baby, Bass, Posey, etc.).  I think there is still room for that to happen with Green, now that he isn't being thrust in the fire with no time to prepare.

He will still have to play a decent amount of PF this year, but more and more teams are playing SFs at PF anyways, so it won't make a huge difference.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying Green is going to be an All-Star.  I am just giving some credence to the idea that just because some skills didn't show up in his NBA career so far, doesn't mean they won't come out now.

[mmmmm]

Why would playing power forward limit his passing?  You can be a passer out of any position.

Would it not? I'm under the impression playing out of position would impact more than your scoring and defense.

He played PF in college in the post, his passing was based on playing that position from the high post (and low at times)

Yeah, but physically, he was not at a mismatch at PF in college.  So he _might_ be more comfortable as a facilitator against SFs - you know, a lot of the guys who, like him, were playing PF/C in college ... 

I don't think this is true, Jeff Green was absolutely a mistmatch at PF in college. A NBA level athlete at his size and skill level is a big mismatch for the vast majority of college forwards. He was too quick for guys his own size and too big for smaller players in the post.

Very few NBA caliber PFs were around to punish him on the other end like what happens when he plays PF in the pros.

No, I did not say that well:  I meant that in college, Green was not playing on the bad side of mismatches at PF like he often has been in the NBA. 

[Boris Badenov]

Green didn't play with good PGs in college, so they ran the offense through him.

In the NBA, he's not skilled enough to be a playmaker. So, he's generally been playing off the ball, and at best the third option on offense.

I think that explains his numbers. He's been the same player the whole time.

I will say that against a small lineup Green could be more of a facilitator, working out of the post and looking for cuts and popouts by JET LEE.

[gotjoker?]

The Commodores? Get it? Lol.

Anyways, I remember thinking that Green could be a poor man's Larmar Odom with his skills as a potential play-maker in the NBA.  However, I don't think anyone is quite like Odom.  LeBron is very similar but Odom is still different in some way.  Both of them are rare talents.

In my opinion, Rivers must decide on what exactly will be Green's position going forward and stick to it.  I think Ainge (or whomever) got caught up in the idea of using Green much like James Posey was used as a power forward to create mismatches.  Is Green a small forward? I don't know, but he's no more of a power forward than Bradly is a point guard.

My question is, does Boston want Green to be a scorer or a play-maker? Certainly, you would prefer for him to be the latter playing with the second unit.  Because Terry is more of an offensive minded player, and either Bradly or Lee can score.  So, who's your point guard? Presumably, it's Terry, but might you be better off if it were Green.

[Galeto]

My memory might be faulty but I think Green drew some Boris Diaw comps in college both because of he was a facilitator but also because people thought he could be more aggressive offensively like people think Boris could be. On the one hand, it's nice to see that Green developed into a player who isn't tentative about looking for his own shot but why did the passing have to be abandoned?  I don't think he's a glueish, hockey assist type player either.

I'm not super high on Green to be kind but playing PF and not being able to post up has taken away lot of the passing scenarios he used in college.  If he was a more versatile passer, he should've been able to take advantage of being able to dribble drive past slower, bigger opponents but maybe he's not.  I would like to see Doc tell Green that he's going to utilize his post game when he has the matchup but that he wants him to look for his teammates out of the post as well. 

If Green can shoot at least 36 percent from three this year and be an average rebounder at both SF and PF, I'd be a contented fan.