Green: Trying To Take The Next Step As A Leader

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4714648/green-trying-to-take-next-step-as-leader



Green: Trying to take next step as leader
September, 18, 2014
SEP 18
7:20 PM ET
By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com



BOSTON -- When Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green was asked about some extended summer stubble dangling from his chin, team president Rich Gotham playfully interjected that he must be going for a "Bill Russell look."



Chris Forsberg/ESPN Boston
Celtics team president Rich Gotham, Jeff Green and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at an education event in Mattapan.


Green, who returned to the area this week to start ramping up toward the start of Celtics training camp later this month, joined Gotham and U.S. Secretary of Education (and hoops junkie) Arne Duncan for an event to support the My Brother’s Keeper initiative in Mattapan. Green added to his Russell look by wearing the latter's familiar blue button-down shirt and blazer, but when the conversation shifted to basketball, it steered more toward the current rebuild than the Russell-hung banners that served as Green's backdrop as he fielded questions.

"You can't really put a timetable on the rebuilding process," said Green. "As long as you continue to get better each day -- going to practice and just get better -- that’s what it’s going to take for us to get better as a team and to increase wins. I think we ended the season well and this whole summer each guy took it upon themselves to get better, which is going to make our team better."

What did Green focus on during the offseason?

"Just get better as a player, all around," he said. "I don’t have one or two things that I focused on completely throughout the whole summer. I think it was more just becoming a better all-around player and trying to take the next step to becoming a leader on this team."

The 28-year-old Green is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 16.9 points over 34.2 minutes per game. But despite welcoming the bull's-eye that landed on him with Rajon Rondo sidelined for the start of last season, Green never quite flourished as the sort of go-to presence that many hoped he might develop into (particularly after a strong playoff showing to close the 2012-13 season).

Green expressed optimism about what a healthy Rondo can add to a young Celtics core this season ("With him being 100 percent healthy, I think he’ll make our team just that much better," said Green) but the question remains whether the advancements of Rondo's supporting cast, and Green in particular, can help Boston take the next step in its rebuild.

On this night, the conversation at the Mildred Avenue School leaned heavier on education than hoops. While recovering from heart surgery that paused his basketball career, Green went back and finished his degree at Georgetown in 2012. This past summer, he made a $1 million donation to the school (which was matched by the Indiana Pacers' Roy Hibbert, while Patrick Ewing and agent David Falk pledged an additional $3.3 million toward the construction of an on-campus facility that will bear the name of Hoyas coaching legend John Thompson Jr.).

"Georgetown has done a lot for me in so many ways," said Green. "They gave me a great education. They gave me an opportunity to play basketball at a high level. And with the personnel that’s around that school, Big John [Thompson Jr.], the professors, my coach, [John Thompson III], they also made me a better person. I owe a lot to them for getting me to where I’m at, so it was a no-brainer for me to just give back in order to help build a new facility in John Thompson Jr.’s name. He’s done so much for that school, I think he’s really deserving of it. I think it’s going to be great for the school in the long run."

With a focus on Thursday's education event, Green added: "[Kids] look up to NBA players and to put our story out there about how we got to where we are and how education got us to the point we are now, I think it’s big for these kids to hear. I think that’s why we are out here, spreading the word, that education is very important. And it should come first."

A few more notes and quotes from Green's brief Q&A with reporters:

• Meeting the new guys: Green said he's spent time this week meeting the newest faces on the team, including rookies Marcus Smart and James Young. "I’ve had a lot of time to talk to the guys, get to know them off the court, but also work out with them, get to know them on the court," said Green. "We’ve become close through the last couple days that I’ve been here. And they’ve been here for a long time. They’ve been working hard to get ready for this upcoming season."

• Beard Inspiration: Russell > Harden: Given the option of picking Russell or former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate James Harden for his beard inspiration, Green joked, "I would go with Bill Russell before James Harden. It’s something that just grew; I wasn’t planning it. Just a different look, nothing big."

• Players in the community: Gotham was asked about having the Celtics players involved in community activities, whether it's Green at the education event or newcomer Tyler Zeller at a food bank in Lowell earlier this week. "It’s really important," said Gotham. "The kids look up to the players. To have guys like Tyler, like Jeff today, this is their offseason. They are not under any obligation to do this kind of stuff, yet they value their role as a mentor to these kids and they know they make a positive difference by just spending time with them. Just the simple act of showing that they are willing to spend their time, that sends a great message to these kids, that someone’s caring about them, someone is thinking about them. We’re lucky, we have a great crew of guys who are able to not only make that statement, but also set an example like Jeff going back and getting his diploma at Georgetown, the importance of education."




bob



.

He looks a lot more like Tom Sanders than Bill Russell.

I really believe the key to Jeff's becoming a more consistent contributor lies in other Celtics taking some of the focus off him as THE go-to guy.

Sam

sam wrote:
I really believe the key to Jeff's becoming a more consistent contributor lies in other Celtics taking some of the focus off him as THE go-to guy.

Sam

I fully agree.

There should also be more plays run for Green to get him easier baskets.


KJ

Bravo Jeff, I am a big supporter, I hope this year proves to be the one that pushes you forward in all your goals. He looks great!

Rosalie

When I heard for the first time that he has a degree in theology, it made me wonder whether he could possibly be too nice to take full advantage of the aggression with which his athleticism should empower him.  I don't mean to stigmatize someone who has strong religious beliefs as being some kind of wimp; that's not at all what I mean.  But there have been players who, for one reason or another, lacked the killer instinct that could have augmented their effectiveness on the floor.  The best example is probably Wilt Chamberlain.

Sam

Sam, I thought the same thing especially when I learned Green obtained his theology/English degree after he had been in the league for five or six years.

He sounds like an intelligent man with broad interests outside of basketball. Nothing at all wrong with that. But he may not have the single minded obsession that is a big part of making many players great.

There have been many, many athletes in all sports who have been extremely religious. One that comes to mind right now is David Robinson

I think you are reading something into this that is irrelevant. Because he has a degree in theology does not take away from his talent and desire. Reaching for straws here, and I personally am thrilled that there is a guy with his personality representing the Celtics. Take my word for it, being religious does not take away the fire within.

Rosalie

Rosalie,

There are probably more players than we know who have a genuinely religious side.  But different people are affected in different ways by beliefs.  I don't think it's impossible that Jeff could have a fire inside and yet still lack that extra degree of meanness that propels some players toward stardom.

I'm certainly not castigating religion, and Jeff has my deepest admiration and respect for displaying the courage of his convictions.  I'm just wondering if, in his unique case (not David Robinson or anyone else), Jeff could find some of his aggressiveness tempered by his obviously deep-seated beliefs.

Sam

I don't know. I'm not sure it has anything to do with his "beliefs." I think it's just more about his personality that he was born with.

Even still, there's nothing wrong with it. It appears that people assume certain players should fit into a certain mold simply because of their athletic ability. It's not wholly unreasonable, but it can be problematic. He just wasn't meant to be that way, and that's fine.


KJ

I agree with you.  Green doesn't strike anyone as the type of player who wants to destroy an opponent like Bird, Jordan or Magic did or has what Tommy Heinshon described in Bill Russell as a "neurotic need to win."

I also agree with you that it's not a matter of his beliefs, religious or otherwise. A person who puts himself through the rigor of getting degrees in English and theology--particularly when he is set financially and the particular degrees aren't exactly known to lead to lucrative careers--may well have a personality that leads him to pursue an interest for its own sake.

I just can't accept that his beliefs have anything to do with it. Not everyone is made like those guys you mentioned, and, personally I am glad about that. My own son is not an aggressive guy, but a successful, well liked person. We are who we are, beliefs or not.

I know where you are coming from Sam, the true Super players are sometimes the kind of people who would throw you down and walk over you. Green definitely is not that kind of a guy.

Oh well, I am the kind of person who appreciates a guy like Green, I know I am alone here, but"...........see me at the end of the year

Rosalie

Rosalie,

You are not alone. Most players today couldn't care less about going to class, let alone going back to college and getting a degree after making it in the pros.

I am proud of Jeff Green for using his spare time while recovering from surgery and getting a degree. Wow, a Theology/English degree? An athlete with a brain? Whoda thunk?

gyso

More important than having a killer instinct is having an indomnitable will to live, something Jeff has clearly demonstrated.

Couple of comments.

I believe he is poised to have a very strong season - and improve upon his Top 40 scoring average.

As for not having the killer instinct to be a "great player" - every player in the NBA is a great player. The leading scorer on ANY NBA team is an even better player. Someone who can (as Worcester said) come back from open heart surgery and play 81 and 82 games the following two season, already have proved how great he is.

In the end it was a very nice article and Jeff Green continues to impress me as a person on and off the court. In a time when we have so many athletes beating their wives and children, taking drugs, blowing millions of dollars on nonsense and other indiscretions which we cant even get into - Jeff is a thoughtful young man who is respectful, intelligent and generous.

The Celtics would be lucky to have 12 Jeff Greens on their roster, representing their team and our city.

Check these out.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd7BJv0xq_k

and you know what I like most about all of them,
after the dunk, no standing, no staring, no chest pump......

just runs back to play defense.

beat