When is jeff green going to get it?

[Roy H.]

Honestly, 14 points in 34 minutes per game isn't that impressive.  It suggests a player more at Ricky Davis' level, rather than Paul Pierce's.  He should be fine for our bench, I just don't understand the folks projecting him to be a star.

According to basketball-reference.com, there are 14 players with 13.0-15.0ppg in 32.0-36.0mpg:

Lamar Odom
Elton Brand
Steve Nash    
Kyle Lowry    
Andre Miller    
Beno Udrih    
Mike Conley
D.J. Augustin    
Jrue Holiday
Andrew Bogut
Jeff Green
John Salmons
Anthony Morrow
Tayshaun Prince

It is left to the reader to draw conclusions from that list.

In part, that's because most teams don't play guys who contribute nothing but mediocre scoring that many minutes.  Almost all of the guys on that list contribute something to their team that goes beyond scoring.  With the point guards, it's running the offense and assists.  With guys like Odom, Bogut and Brand, it's rebounding.  A guy like Tayshaun Prince is a defensive specialist while Morrow is an elite floor-stretcher.  Green is about as good as John Salmons -- um, yay?  I wouldn't trade Perk for John Salmons, either.

Green is a one-dimensional scorer who doesn't score that well.  When you're below average at defense, rebounding (at the small forward position), and passing, I expect more than the 147th best scoring per minute in the NBA.

Absolutely wrong. Green has lots of potential and has a chance to really develop over the next coupler years.

What part of what I said is "absolutely wrong"?  You might project greater things for him in the future, but right now, nearing the completion of his fourth NBA season, what does he do at an above-average level?  Right now, Green is indeed a "one-dimensional scorer that doesn't score that well".  For our sake, I hope he improves.

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Honestly, 14 points in 34 minutes per game isn't that impressive.  It suggests a player more at Ricky Davis' level, rather than Paul Pierce's.  He should be fine for our bench, I just don't understand the folks projecting him to be a star.

According to basketball-reference.com, there are 14 players with 13.0-15.0ppg in 32.0-36.0mpg:

Lamar Odom
Elton Brand
Steve Nash    
Kyle Lowry    
Andre Miller    
Beno Udrih    
Mike Conley
D.J. Augustin    
Jrue Holiday
Andrew Bogut
Jeff Green
John Salmons
Anthony Morrow
Tayshaun Prince

It is left to the reader to draw conclusions from that list.

In part, that's because most teams don't play guys who contribute nothing but mediocre scoring that many minutes.  Almost all of the guys on that list contribute something to their team that goes beyond scoring.  With the point guards, it's running the offense and assists.  With guys like Odom, Bogut and Brand, it's rebounding.  A guy like Tayshaun Prince is a defensive specialistm while Morrow is an elite floor-stretcher.  Green is about as good as John Salmons -- um, yay?  I wouldn't trade Perk for John Salmons, either.

Green is a one-dimensional scorer who doesn't score that well.  When you're below average at defense, rebounding (at the small forward position), and passing, I expect more than the 147th best scoring per minute in the NBA.

Absolutely wrong. Green has lots of potential and has a chance to really develop over the next coupler years.

Agreed.  Other than Green, there are perhaps only a couple of players on that list with any upside at all.

I don't think we've seen what Green can do, not everything.

I also believe that, especially with younger players, it takes a full training camp to figure out how to make things work.  It appears to me that Green is being asked to play a limited role, rather than opening things up.

If he were being showcased, we'd all be falling over each other to try to lock him up ASAP.

[JohnBagleyValueMeal]

Here's the thing:

At some point, in the NBA, it's not about what you COULD do. It's about what you DO.

Vince Carter could have been as good as Kobe Bryant. But he isn't, and wasn't--it's not about ability, it's about execution.

Green isn't some rook. He's been in the league for four years. If he were lighting it up while he was in the game, I'd be screaming about him needing more minutes too. Stop blaming other guys--every player has to step up and perform for himself.

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Here's the thing:

At some point, in the NBA, it's not about what you COULD do. It's about what you DO.

Vince Carter could have been as good as Kobe Bryant. But he isn't, and wasn't--it's not about ability, it's about execution.

Green isn't some rook. He's been in the league for four years. If he were lighting it up while he was in the game, I'd be screaming about him needing more minutes too. Stop blaming other guys--every player has to step up and perform for himself.

In the league four years.

On the Celtics for four weeks.

Let's give it some time.

[vinnie]

He does need a training camp, which is why you don't make a trade like this two-thirds through the season.

[LooseCannon]

In part, that's because most teams don't play guys who contribute nothing but mediocre scoring that many minutes.

I'll add that a guy whose stats seem similar to Green's when you look at stats per 36 (or 48) minutes is Luol Deng.  Before this season, he seemed to be regarded as an overpaid, passive player who settled for being a one-dimensional jump shooter and who wasn't as good of a defender as someone with his physical tools ought to be.  That reputation seems to have changed this season, despite his stats looking pretty much the same.

So, that's another comparison people can talk about.  Regardless, Green represents a strong test for how good Boston is at developing young players.

[Eja117]

I'm not buying this whole "Jeff Green has only been on the team a month" stuff

MJ left basketball for over a season and a half to play baseball and it took about 3 games to be pretty good again.

Magic left the game for half a season and at an advanced age came back to play great in the all-star game.

I just see this as a cop out excuse.  

[cman88]

to show greens stats in 36minutes, one has to take a look at the system/team he was playing on. OKC where you have a pure scorer in Durant and a PG in westbrook whom the offense basically rests on those two guys...

Green wasnt getting many touches. the fact that he was able to be the #3 scorer on that team shows something about the guys ability. Right now, for boston hes meant to be the main(or 2nd main) scorer off the bench in limited spurts..

Personally, i dont think the C's are utilizing him the best they can. Baby should be playing under the hoop and the jumpers should go to green..but the guy is capable of exploding for 20points on any given night

[Roy H.]

In part, that's because most teams don't play guys who contribute nothing but mediocre scoring that many minutes.

I'll add that a guy whose stats seem similar to Green's when you look at stats per 36 (or 48) minutes is Luol Deng.  Before this season, he seemed to be regarded as an overpaid, passive player who settled for being a one-dimensional jump shooter and who wasn't as good of a defender as someone with his physical tools ought to be.  That reputation seems to have changed this season, despite his stats looking pretty much the same.

So, that's another comparison people can talk about.  Regardless, Green represents a strong test for how good Boston is at developing young players.

Really?  People regarded Deng as a one-dimensional jump shooter who played unimpressive defense?  Honestly, that's pretty much the exact opposite of how I viewed Deng.  I always saw him as a good all-around SF, a good penetrator, a good rebounder, a very good defender, and a poor outside shooter.

The only comparison I really see to Jeff Green is that Deng was regarded at one time as a future star, and his ceiling ended up being less than that.  Unfortunately, I think Green is going to fall into the same category; I just don't see the star potential.

[Eja117]

Back in the day when I was a youngin and I had to walk to school uphill both ways through snow with no feet you could draft a guy 5th overall and start him and he could play well from almost day one.

Nowadays a guy gets drafted 5th, gets years of experience, plays well, gets traded to a team and falls off the Earth. And people make excuses for him!

Dagnabit bunch of whippersnappers think they know something bout basketball..I like Ike....and the communists have got to go...lollygaggers ....need a center to punch someone in the mouth...aodbcdscsd

[birdwatcher]

The kid averaged 14pts & 5.5rebs for his career playing with Durant & then Westbrook later...I guess he flipped the switch off?

Honestly, 14 points in 34 minutes per game isn't that impressive.  It suggests a player more at Ricky Davis' level, rather than Paul Pierce's.  He should be fine for our bench, I just don't understand the folks projecting him to be a star.

Joe Johnson avg 17.7 pts in 36 minutes for his career and he's a 4 time all-star...2 minutes less, 3 points less?

[Roy H.]

The kid averaged 14pts & 5.5rebs for his career playing with Durant & then Westbrook later...I guess he flipped the switch off?

Honestly, 14 points in 34 minutes per game isn't that impressive.  It suggests a player more at Ricky Davis' level, rather than Paul Pierce's.  He should be fine for our bench, I just don't understand the folks projecting him to be a star.

Joe Johnson avg 17.7 pts in 36 minutes for his career and he's a 4 time all-star...2 minutes less, 3 points less?

Joe Johnson is a better scorer, a better shooter, a better passer, and relative to his position, a better rebounder.  

Maybe Green will suddenly vastly improve his game, but there's nothing he's shown in his first four years to suggest that he can be at Johnson's level.

[LooseCannon]

In part, that's because most teams don't play guys who contribute nothing but mediocre scoring that many minutes.

I'll add that a guy whose stats seem similar to Green's when you look at stats per 36 (or 48) minutes is Luol Deng.  Before this season, he seemed to be regarded as an overpaid, passive player who settled for being a one-dimensional jump shooter and who wasn't as good of a defender as someone with his physical tools ought to be.  That reputation seems to have changed this season, despite his stats looking pretty much the same.

So, that's another comparison people can talk about.  Regardless, Green represents a strong test for how good Boston is at developing young players.

Really?  People regarded Deng as a one-dimensional jump shooter who played unimpressive defense?  Honestly, that's pretty much the exact opposite of how I viewed Deng.  I always saw him as a good all-around SF, a good penetrator, a good rebounder, a very good defender, and a poor outside shooter.

The only comparison I really see to Jeff Green is that Deng was regarded at one time as a future star, and his ceiling ended up being less than that.  Unfortunately, I think Green is going to fall into the same category; I just don't see the star potential.

Deng always seemed to be viewed as a guy who could (and should) penetrate but was willing to settle for being a jump shooter and taking a lot of long twos.  Until this season, he was a good defender (although some claimed he was merely average) who people thought should be a great defender (as opposed to Green, who is either poor or adequate, but who people think has the talent to be an above-average defender at SF).

Green and Deng (at least before this season) were both viewed as underachieving combo forwards whose gifts include decent athleticism, a high basketball IQ, and a strong work ethic.  Both were seen as needing to be more aggressive.  Green is a better shooter, but Deng was seen as the player with more upside.  Fringe potential all-star who might get one actual all-star game appearance vs a guy who might get four or five.  That's where I see the superficial similarities.

[Eja117]

He does need a training camp, which is why you don't make a trade like this two-thirds through the season.

Odd. Perk didn't need a training camp to be effective in OKC. Somehow he managed to remember how to play basketball and Green didn't.