Boston Needs More Defense Than Offense From Gerald Green

Gerald Green will need to have a defensive impact if he wants playing time with the Boston Celtics

Gerald Green can give the Boston Celtics great athleticism and decent three point shooting, but that is not how he is going to earn a role. Green is coming in to help replace the depth that was lost with Evan Turner. While Green can be serviceable on offense, his passing ability will never be able to replicate with Turner did, preventing him from having the kind of role that made Turner so important. If Green wants to remain part of the Celtics’ rotation, he needs to be able to have an impact on the defensive end, and help with the defensive depth lost by the only rotation guard that stands taller than 6’5.

Defensive versatility was vital to Turner’s role and because of size limitations, Green will have an opportunity to try and capture a similar impact on the defensive end, while Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart will have their chance to play with the ball in their hands.

Even if Green may have more offensive upside, that is not how he is going to become a part of their rotation. His athleticism can have an impact in the paint and if he can continue to shoot the three around 35%, he can certainly contribute. That being said, his offensive impact will be too limited and his playing time will be a lot closer tied to his defensive impact, and his ability to guard both the two and the three.

Turner’s value to the Celtics was crucial because of his defensive versatility. While Green has not been the kind of defender than Turner was with the Celtics, he needs to be able to bring defensive depth, particularly considering the only small forward depth currently behind Jae Crowder is the rookie Jaylen Brown.

Brown will need to come in and have an impact in transition and he should be able to thrive with the open looks he could be seeing in Stevens’ offense. That, however, needs to be the bare minimum. If that is all that Green gives the Celtics off the bench then he will struggle to get consistent minutes. The Celtics need some offense from Green but defense needs to be the priority for the kind of role he can come in and fill.

Green has had very little experience as a volume shooter, and has done even less as a playmaker. His assist numbers are non existent and he needs to make sure he allows the offense to function properly. Green does not have the offensive potential to earn a role strictly on that end. He can help as on off ball player, but his offensive success will be largely tied to what his teammates are able to do for him and how comfortable he gets in Stevens’ system.

Unfortuntely, part of the problem is going to be that Green has also shown little to give the Celtics confidence that he can fill in that Turner type role defensively. The hope is that playing alongside terrific defensive guards and being on a team that succeeded with defense last year will allow him to find ways to use his athleticism and size to be a contributing defender. If Green can at least find ways to help generate steals and give them a boost in transition, then that could be enough for some minutes.

The Celtics got Green on a minimum contract making this deal as low risk as possible. Green’s role will largely depend on how quickly Brown is able to be a solid NBA player. That being said, the one way Green can force himself into the rotation is with defense. Shooting is where the Celtics need to be most improved this offseason, but Green is not going to be able to do enough to help that problem.

The Celtics have multiple players that can approach the kind of shooting that Green brings. The Celtics were an awful shooting team last year, but they still had 5 players that are at least as good as Green from three, and all of them will have much bigger roles, giving them a much larger offensive impact.

On defense, however, the Celtics do not have many players that is capable of doing what Green’s size and athleticism can. Other than Crowder and Brown, the Celtics have no small forward depth and if Brown needs time to adjust, they will suffer on the defensive end without Green stepping up. Stevens will certainly have Smart and Rozier guarding taller players, but that may not be an ideal plan on a regular bases.

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The contract makes this deal impossible for the Celtics to lose, but expectations should remain low. Green has an opportunity to have an impact on both ends but if he starts to struggle on the defensive end then his role and place in the rotation will quickly disappear.