Jeff Green's Roller Coaster Season Cannot Be The Norm For The Boston Celtics

Jeff Green’s Rollercoaster Season with the Boston Celtics Cannot Be the Norm
March 23rd, 2014 at 5:10 AM
By Sean Melia



Jeff Green had it all in front of him this season. The superstars were gone. Rajon Rondo was injured. The coach was new. The stage was his. Unfortunately, it wasn't all neat and tidy like so many in Boston had hoped. The smooth and silky forward continued his strange relationship with a game that he so frequently seems to have under complete control. Sadly, the game of basketball is more like jello in Green's hand, hard to handle consistently.


Steve Bulpett wrote a great piece on Jeff Green, who was rather outspoken regarding his critics.

Green refers to his up and down play saying, "You know, the results are roller coaster-ish. You're going to have good games, and you're going to have bad game. What I can control is the way I go out there and play, and that's playing hard. If I make shots, I make shots. If I miss, I miss."

Green also just seems happy to be playing, "After missing a year from the condition that I had, you know, just being on the floor, for me, is a good start and it's a blessing for me. So that's my expectation, just go out there and just play as hard as I can."

That mentality is understandable. Jeff Green nearly had basketball taken away from him forever. Instead, it was given back and now he is enjoying it, no matter what. Of course he wants to do well and play well, but it's not the end of the world for him. He said it, this is the "start."

The season Jeff Green's "start" has been somewhat of a disappointment. Statistically, he is scoring more points, but his efficiency is way down. He is scoring .92 points per possession (PPP). Putting him at 194th in the league, per Synergy Sports. Green is shooting his lowest percentage from the field, at 41%. While is FG% is down, his shot totals are up, way up. He is shooting the ball more times per game (14.3), than any year of his career. He has also taken 47 more three-point field goals this season than last year. He still has 13 more games to play to add to that total (he played 81 last year, 69 so far this year).

The offensive rating (number of points per 100 possessions by a team), is also very unimpressive. It sits at 97.5, the same as his rookie year in Seattle. Green's OffRtg has been as high as 106 in 2009-10.

His shot chart for this year is also un-impressive. He is not really a threat to shoot and score from anywhere on the floor. Purely mediocre in multiple areas, and below average in the mid-range.

Green's defense has not done much to help him make up for those quiet nights on the offensive end. His opponent scores .86 PPP. Putting him at 164th in the league per Synergy Sports. He is also getting scorched on isolation plays, allowing .99 PPP. He ranks 232nd in that area. The Defensive Rating for Green is also high, at 104.1 this year. Although Green's DefRtg has never been lower than 100.  

Obviously, some of those stats are tied to team production, but Green is a pivotal member of this team. He was a leader, and he will still have some expectation next year to take some young players under his wing.

After five years in the league at age 27, the question needs to be asked. Is this what Jeff Green is going to be? Has he reached his pinnacle and now just needs to be in the right situation?

Jeff Green will be answering a lot more questions about his output and roller coaster ride unless he is surrounded by some more consistent players that allow him to find a more even keel.



bob
MY NOTE:  There are parts of this article that I find disturbing.  I find that Jeff Green is still traumatized by his, admittedly, life-threatening conditioning disturbing.  He's about 1 1/2 years past that, is playing in back-to-backs (which is more than Rondo is doing) and logging heavy minutes.  He needs to let it go.  I also find it disturbing that he has this "I hit the shots, I miss the shots" attitude disturbing.  It's supposed to bother him when he's not hitting.  There's a lot to be disturbed about here, beyond the "roller coaster".



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Jeff seems to be influenced much more by his state of mind than the norm among  advanced professional basketball players.  We've seen games in which he's obviously in a mental zone and has hit a succession of other-worldly shots.  And we've seen games in which he seems....the only word I can think of is.....detached.

I don't want to play an amateur psychologist here.  But I believe it's rather obvious that, when Jeff plays instinctively, things go very well for him—often at both ends of the floor.  The problem is trying to identify a key to unlocking his instinctive side with greater frequency.  He obviously hasn't mastered an ability to do so consciously.  It's likely that thinking about it just prevents him all the more from relying on his instincts, so he becomes less fluid and more methodical.

As I've suggested before, I believe that Jeff's instinctive involvement is best triggered by the stimulus of his own team's success.  I'd be willing to bet that he'd perform much more consistently on a team that consistently performs at a high degree of success.  With rare exceptions, he's not the guy to be a trend setter who motivates his team to realize consistent greatness.

For example, I bet he'd be playing consistently better if he were still a member of the Oklahoma Thunder than is is as a member of the current Boston Celtics.

Sam

"The season Jeff Green's 'start' has been somewhat of a disappointment. Statistically, he is scoring more points, but his efficiency is way down. He is scoring .92 points per possession (PPP). Putting him at 194th in the league, per Synergy Sports. Green is shooting his lowest percentage from the field, at 41%. While is FG% is down, his shot totals are up, way up. He is shooting the ball more times per game (14.3), than any year of his career. He has also taken 47 more three-point field goals this season than last year. He still has 13 more games to play to add to that total (he played 81 last year, 69 so far this year).

The offensive rating (number of points per 100 possessions by a team), is also very unimpressive. It sits at 97.5, the same as his rookie year in Seattle. Green's OffRtg has been as high as 106 in 2009-10."


My point exactly, and his poor rating versus other small forwards in the system I came up with in the early '80's showing him to be 25th out of 26 SF's I listed bears that out emphatically. 194th in the league, overall, according to that article. Yikes.

sam wrote:Jeff seems to be influenced much more by his state of mind than the norm among  advanced professional basketball players.  We've seen games in which he's obviously in a mental zone and has hit a succession of other-worldly shots.  And we've seen games in which he seems....the only word I can think of is.....detached.

I don't want to play an amateur psychologist here.  But I believe it's rather obvious that, when Jeff plays instinctively, things go very well for him—often at both ends of the floor.  The problem is trying to identify a key to unlocking his instinctive side with greater frequency.  He obviously hasn't mastered an ability to do so consciously.  It's likely that thinking about it just prevents him all the more from relying on his instincts, so he becomes less fluid and more methodical.

As I've suggested before, I believe that Jeff's instinctive involvement is best triggered by the stimulus of his own team's success.  I'd be willing to bet that he'd perform much more consistently on a team that consistently performs at a high degree of success.  With rare exceptions, he's not the guy to be a trend setter who motivates his team to realize consistent greatness.

For example, I bet he'd be playing consistently better if he were still a member of the Oklahoma Thunder than is is as a member of the current Boston Celtics.

Sam

This is a point I've not really seen elsewhere that merits some consideration.  Some players have value, but are not the type that will pick up a team and carry it.  They can put up numbers as part of a team that has other leadership and complimetary players that allow them to just play their game.  Green may be just the type of player that plays well "within himself."

The choice will come as to retaining him until a couple of big forwards and another scoring threat can be added, or swapping him out to obtain those same parts.  A contending team might prize him for depth and be willing to deal for him, just as we once did.  I think he can be of good value immediately as part of a trade package or later if we decide we can afford to let him hang out for a couple of seasons. There just doesn't seem to be any middle ground in terms of him being 100% of what was hoped for right now.

NYCelt wrote:

sam wrote:Jeff seems to be influenced much more by his state of mind than the norm among  advanced professional basketball players.  We've seen games in which he's obviously in a mental zone and has hit a succession of other-worldly shots.  And we've seen games in which he seems....the only word I can think of is.....detached.

I don't want to play an amateur psychologist here.  But I believe it's rather obvious that, when Jeff plays instinctively, things go very well for him—often at both ends of the floor.  The problem is trying to identify a key to unlocking his instinctive side with greater frequency.  He obviously hasn't mastered an ability to do so consciously.  It's likely that thinking about it just prevents him all the more from relying on his instincts, so he becomes less fluid and more methodical.

As I've suggested before, I believe that Jeff's instinctive involvement is best triggered by the stimulus of his own team's success.  I'd be willing to bet that he'd perform much more consistently on a team that consistently performs at a high degree of success.  With rare exceptions, he's not the guy to be a trend setter who motivates his team to realize consistent greatness.

For example, I bet he'd be playing consistently better if he were still a member of the Oklahoma Thunder than is is as a member of the current Boston Celtics.

Sam

This is a point I've not really seen elsewhere that merits some consideration.  Some players have value, but are not the type that will pick up a team and carry it.  They can put up numbers as part of a team that has other leadership and complimentary players that allow them to just play their game.  Green may be just the type of player that plays well "within himself."

The choice will come as to retaining him until a couple of big forwards and another scoring threat can be added, or swapping him out to obtain those same parts.  A contending team might prize him for depth and be willing to deal for him, just as we once did.  I think he can be of good value immediately as part of a trade package or later if we decide we can afford to let him hang out for a couple of seasons.  There just doesn't seem to be any middle ground in terms of him being 100% of what was hoped for right now.

NYCelt,

I think it's safe to say that Jeff Green is not a team leader.  That doesn't mean he cannot or will not be the top scorer on any given night, obviously he can and has, but he's not a Cedric Maxwell "climb on my back, boys" kind of leader.

I believe that, right there, is a large chunk of Jeff's problem.  He's a follower.  He feeds off of others rather than feeding them.  I do not mean to say he is a selfish player.  In fact, a lot of his performance issues stem from his unselfish willingness to take a back seat when he should be demanding the ball every trip down the floor.  Players like Pierce WANT the ball in their hands in crunch time and demand it.  Same with Rondo, KG and Ray.  They want their number called and not just be a decoy.  Jeff wants to come out of the flow and while that is mostly good, and why Jeff is a good player, it's not leadership nor the cornerstone of greatness.  

Jeff Green is just too talented, too spectacular (when he's on) and too youthful to bench him and start Wallace at 3 instead but he doesn't seem to have a "starter's mentality", where he's wants to "own" his man and prove something every night while Wallace does.

A bit harsh, I know, but like everybody I'm struggling to understand how such a talented player isn't doing more.  I mean, for Pete's Sake, he's a 6'9" SF who is incredibly athletic and versatile.  He should be on the short list with Durant, George and James, but he's not.

At 27, Jeff Green is halfway through his career (maybe 40%).  I believe, truly, that he could still make a run for the HOF IF the switch were to suddenly flip in his head.  He has that kind of talent, he really does, but it would have to happen now and it would have to get stuck in the 'on' position.  If he became a 25ppg scorer and upped his rebounding and assists by a bit, it could happen.  It would be tough to not consider a player who averaged 25ppg for 7-8 years for the HOF, especially since that would probably drag his career ppg average up over 20ppg.

Forgetting about the HOF, he still could have a fantastic NBA career instead of one where NBA GMs and scouts consider him "a nice side dish but not an entree".  There's only one thing stopping him and that's him, specifically, his brain.  He's logging heavy minutes on back-to-backs so it's not physical anymore.


bob


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bobheckler wrote:

NYCelt wrote:

sam wrote:Jeff Green is just too talented, too spectacular (when he's on) and too youthful to bench him and start Wallace at 3 instead but he doesn't seem to have a "starter's mentality", where he's wants to "own" his man and prove something every night while Wallace does.

A bit harsh, I know, but like everybody I'm struggling to understand how such a talented player isn't doing more.  I mean, for Pete's Sake, he's a 6'9" SF who is incredibly athletic and versatile.  He should be on the short list with Durant, George and James, but he's not.

bob


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Bob,

I don't think there is anything harsh in your statement (above) at all.  It's simply what appears to be an opinion that may well double as factual statement.

Green isn't a total loss, I've even seen some stats in areas where he's at least comparable to Pierce's offensive numbers from last season.  There are just other areas where he doesn't seem to be delivering what was expected.  SF is what many consider the critical spot in today's NBA; you've got to have "the man" there.  You're saying Green isn't him, and might well never be, and I find it very hard to disagree with you.

Regards

I don't think it's necessary for Jeff to have to be "the guy." Granted, every team needs a few, but he makes for a very good complimentary piece. This is Rondo's team, period.

I do wish he was a better rebounder and more efficient on offense, but great SFs are few and far between, so I'm not sold on kicking him to the curb for not being a HOFer.



KJ