What Does Gerald Green Add to the Celtics?

How will Gerald Green help the Celtics?

Heading into next season, the Boston Celtics still had holes to fill following the signing of Al Horford. After shooting just 33.5 percent from three in the regular season – third worst in NBA – and 27.5 percent from deep in the playoffs – second worst among playoff teams – it was evident the Celtics needed to get better in that category, and quickly.

With the small ball era clearly upon us and the perimeter being the focus of most team’s game plan, Boston was in the market for a couple of veteran three-point shooters. Instead of signing Chase Budinger, who they were rumored to be after, the Celtics chose to bring back their first round pick in 2005, Gerald Green, who provides more than just shooting.

At just $1.8 million, Green is a bargain for Boston. They had $12 million in cap space heading into the day and adding a veteran bench player will be a common occurrence while they compete for a title over the coming seasons. No one expected Green to command big money after his sub-par season with the Miami Heat last year, but he is just a couple of years removed from averaging 15.8 points per game off the bench for the Phoenix Suns – making this a low-risk, high-reward scenario.

Also, in 2014-15 when Isaiah Thomas was in Phoenix, he and Gerald Green were the second highest scoring duo when on the court together for the Suns that season. Teaming up with a former teammate will make the transition easier, and he’ll also be somewhat in sync with the team’s starting point guard.

The former 18th overall pick has been in-and-out of the NBA throughout his career after being part of the Kevin Garnett trade in the summer of 2007. However, one thing that he’s always been able to do is score, and that’s the Celtics biggest need coming off the bench.

With Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown owning questionable offensive skill sets right now, and Terry Rozier being an unproven scorer, the Celtics lack a scoring wing off the bench. Brown will have a couple of big games here and there, but it’s hard to say that he’ll be a consistent contributor on the offensive end as a rookie.

Rozier showed a lot of great signs in summer league, however summer league and the NBA regular season is a big difference, and he struggled with his shot as a rookie. It’s not to say that Rozier will shoot 27.4 percent from the field again, but his likely role off the bench will be as a distributor and a tough on-ball defender.

That’s why a pure scorer like Gerald Green should thrive in Boston. He doesn’t need to be great on defense, he just can’t become a liability. Expecting anything more than the mediocre defender he’s been throughout his career is crazy. At 30-years-old with nine NBA seasons under his belt, Green won’t change his style of play, and, frankly, the Celtics don’t need him to.

As previously noted, their bench lacks a consistent wing scorer. R.J. Hunter or Demetrius Jackson may get a chance to prove themselves but that’s unlikely as both are still trying to just make the roster.

Green is coming off a season in which he saw 22.6 minutes per night. He’ll likely reach the 15-20 minute range with the Celtics as Evan Turner leaves a lot of minutes, and Jaylen Brown won’t see a crazy amount of minutes right off the bat.

Although, Green will have to increase his 39.2 field-goal percentage and 32.3 three-point percentage if he wants to stick in the rotation. With that being said, Green shot 40 percent from deep just three years ago and 35.4 percent from behind the arc two years ago while taking more than five-threes per game. His career 36.1 three-point percentage shows the shooter he’s capable of, and Boston will need that from him.

Just like any shooter, Green takes nearly 50 percent of his shots from behind the arc (44.3 percent). Although, his athleticism is something not many players, let alone three-point specialists, own. He’s no longer the same kid coming out of high school who won the Slam Dunk Contest, but he can still get up and throw a thundering dunk or finish an alley-oop.

With Green being able to play from shooting guard to power forward – eight percent of his career minutes have come at power forward – he and Jaylen Brown should occasionally be on the floor together. That is instantly the most athletic lineup the Celtics will have this year, and arguably the most athletic duo since Brad Stevens took over. A lot of fireworks should be expected from those two, and the Celtics could even improve on their already ridiculously fast pace – third fastest pace last season.

When it comes down to it, Green is obviously not the difference maker many Celtics’ fans were hoping for. He’s a pure scorer who provides mediocre defense, doesn’t help much on the glass and won’t rack up assists. Not to mention that he’s coming off his worst season in three years since he revived his career in Phoenix.

Still, for the veteran minimum, getting a player who is hungry to improve on his 28.6 three-point percentage that he owned in the playoffs could be very useful for the Celtics. Green has been considered a bust after moving around from team-to-team and overseas since being drafted, but he has a chance to stick in Boston – the team that drafted him.

His role will be the same role it’s been since he came back to the NBA – score and don’t be a liability on defense. Asking anything more than a couple of big dunks and solid three-point shooting is ludicrous from a veteran whose made a niche for himself.

Next: Recap of the Celtics Busy July 23

With a bench full of defensive specialists, taking a chance on a three-point shooter who is looking to have a bounce back season was smart. Brad Stevens is one of the best at covering up player’s flaws and finding the right way to use them. That’s why there’s a very real possibility that Green will be able to shoot close to 40 percent from three coming off the bench.