Jeff Green is veteran rotation player who is already 27 years old. This will be his 7th year in the league. He's always been capable of 15-19 a night. He's a good player. He should be a starter. He'll never be a star.
Reggie Lewis was 27 when he died. I don't think many doubt he would have been a star player had he survived his heart attack. Why the attack on Green?
Jeff has already put up 20+ ppg stretches last year at age 26. Nobody will be the next Paul Pierce. As nobody can be the next Larry Bird. But Jeff Green is likely our best small forward in the forseeable future unless we luck out and land Wiggins in the draft lotto.
I thought as Celtics fans, we'd hope for the best from our players. With PP and KG gone, and the fact that Rondo is a pass first PG, I can easily see Jeff Green as our #1 option on offense this year. And thus it's not hard at all to imagine him putting up 20+ ppg in the upcoming season. Who else is going to shoot it, Marshon Brooks, Bass, Courtney Lee, the rookie KO?
I think out of all those options, Jeff Green is the clear cut best choice on offense right now. Jeff Green has had a brush with death, and is just now regaining his health. I hope he turns into a GREAT player for us. At the very least I think he will be good and our #1 offensive option next year in a rebuilding season.
According to this article, players peak around 25-26 years old and then they go on a decline: http://wagesofwins.com/nba-players-age-like-milk/
It's why some fans think it's ridiculous that people talk about Rondo and Jeff Green as players who can blossom into super stars. They both might already be past their prime.
Thank you for that article miss sunshine, but we're talking about basketball here not sprinting or swimming. With basketball there is more to the game than the physical aspect, otherwise Melo would be dominating the NBA instead of shipped out with us PAYING another team to take him.
The physical part obviously athletes peak close to age 25, give or take for individuals. But basketball players reach their optimal prime when their mental game, and their skills, also match closely to top physical condition.
For example, Michael Jordan didn't win his first NBA title until age 27. He won his first scoring title at age 23.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.htmlLebron James scoring title at age 23. First championship at age 27.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.htmlJust off the top of my head. I'm sure there are some players who won championships at a younger age, but even some of the greatest did not achieve their peak until their late twenties.
And before you make a strawman argument, no I'm not saying Jeff Green is going to turn into one of the greatest players to play in the NBA. I'm just saying it is premature to assert that he has no where to go further to improving himself as a basketball player.
I just don't think we've seen the peak of Jeff Green's abilities yet because he has never been asked to carry a team until now. And of course he had the setback with the medical condition that essentially cost him 2 years of development. Which makes the 'late bloomer' theory plausible in his case.