DALLAS – With Josh Richardson struggling to get the job done for the Dallas Mavericks, it was time to turn to other options.
Green came off the bench and provided great hustle on both ends and never favored playing selfish basketball over making the play.
Josh Richardson did not receive a single minute of playing time during the second quarter while Green was on the floor for its entirety.
“It’s rare you see a rookie perimeter player come in and score four points and make this kind of impact on a game,” Mavericks head coach Carlisle said.
While Redick ended up missing his catch-and-shoot jumper on this play, Green took it as an opportunity to attack on his way up the floor.
On a later play, Green displayed an impressive ability to cut off a quick guard’s attempt to get to the rim when he was guarding Kendrick Nunn on an island.
There were a few defensive possessions when Green made it quite challenging for shooters out on the perimeter.
On the second play, there was a split-second Green anticipated Nunn receiving the ball like a traditional handoff but quickly recovered to pressure the shot attempt.
Green made a tremendous read by recognizing that Luka Doncic decided to leave his man and stay committed to helping on Bam Adebayo upon making the catch in the paint.
Not only did Green manage to break up one of the Heat’s possessions and come up with the steal, he did maintained possession of the ball and made an impressive play in transition.
Particularly, it’s vital that Green continues to improve as a jump shooter before he becomes a complete long-term threat alongside Luka Doncic.
However, he’s showing he can still make an impact when playing out of the corner despite that fact.
Even with the recovering defender and a help defender on the strong-side block, Green managed to get a bucket at the rim.
“He got me going when he drove and kicked it to me in the corner on a skip pass and I saw one go in,” Tim Hardaway Jr.
The unselfish play was made by Green even when he wasn’t put into a tough situation on a drive.
If Green can continue to make positive contributions when his number is called, the Mavericks will have a tough decision to make when it comes to time to formulate their playoff rotation.