How Gerald Green Will Impact Jaylen Brown’s Minutes

Jaylen Brown should be given great opportunity as a rookie, but how big that role is could have a lot to do with Gerald Green

After drafting Jaylen Brown third overall, the Boston Celtics finally got a crown jewel out of the Brooklyn Nets trade. A player with the better upside and potential than most players in the draft, and someone who can finally get Boston to the next level.

Brown could be fantastic in the future, but that future most likely won’t be this season. Even if Brown surpasses the transitional expectations this season, there’s another road block ahead of him that he may not be able to control: Gerald Green.

If Brown wants to see a solid amount of playing time as a rookie, he’ll have to surpass Green. Green and Brown are extremely similar and different at the same time. Both are freak athletes who can jump out of the building, and can look extremely raw at times. Brown clearly has more upside than Green as he is more than a decade younger, but Green does have one thing that the rookie currently doesn’t: a jump shot.

This offseason, Celtics fans hoped to address 3-point shooting, one of the team’s biggest issues. Brown may have more potential than the majority of the players in this year’s class, but his jumper is absolutely a work in progress at best. He shot a nauseating 29 percent from deep at the University of California last season, a number that is around par for a miserable shooting Celtics team. Green only shot 32.3 percent last season from long range, but is already one of the best shooters on the roster. Brown fits Boston’s style of play of not being able to hit a three to save his life, but the Celtics want more of a change in that field.

Green will also be able to contribute defensively quicker than Brown. Brown is a freak athlete with incredible instincts on the defensive end, but it may take some time transitioning to the speed and size of NBA players. Even though he can run like a gazelle and has ridiculous defensive recovery speed, he hasn’t faced people as quick and strong as LeBron James yet. Green has seen players like this in his career, and can step into the role quicker than Brown.

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Green being part of this roster also could harm Brown’s development. Part of learning is seeing the court, and Green is Brown’s biggest obstacle. The rookie will see time, but his lack of experience will keep him out of certain situations. He won’t see the court at the end of most games, and could even lose time during close games where the Celtics are desperate for a defensive stop. Brown may have a bright future, but you can’t count on a future during the present.