We’re still about a month away from the NBA trade deadline, but the arms race in the Western Conference has already began to heat up.
Six of the top 10 teams in the West have attempted to one up each other by enhancing their rosters with trades in the last month.
The Dallas Mavericks upgraded their starting point guard by acquiring Rajon Rondo, the Houston Rockets strengthened their feeble second unit by adding Corey Brewer and Josh Smith, the Thunder have found a third scorer to play alongside Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in Dion Waiters, the Phoenix Suns have added front court depth by bringing in Brandon Wright, the New Orleans Pelicans received a shooter in Quincy Pondexter, and the Memphis Grizzlies fortified their wing rotation with the Jeff Green trade.
Although all of these transactions intensify the currently competitive Western Conference, perhaps none are more daunting to the rest of the West than the Jeff Green trade panning out for Memphis.
Green ostensibly compensates for Memphis’ biggest weaknesses (athleticism and scoring around the perimeter); however, is Jeff Green truly the missing ingredient for the Grizzlies championship recipe? Here’s a breakdown of both the potential positive and negative flavors that Green could have on Memphis — and what that means for the rest of the West.
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The Positives
As aforementioned, Jeff Green (6’9″) is an athletic scorer who can fill a glaring weakness for Grizzlies on the wings.
Both his predecessors, Quincy Pondexter and Tayshaun Prince, have been merely obsolete on both ends of the floor this season, and Green’s defense, scoring, athleticism, and ability to play both forward positions provide Memphis with not only a boost in their scoring, but versatility in their lineups.
Not only can Green guard opposing stretch power forwards on defense, but he can serve as a stretch four himself on offense — a crucial aspect of Green’s game. The Grizzlies are the only contender who haven’t had that luxury up to this point.
Memphis would need to prepare for opposing teams’ stretch big men, such as Dirk Nowitzki, LaMarcus Aldridge, Serge Ibaka, Boris Diaw, and Draymond Green in order to conquer the West. Simultaneously, they would be forced to match up with length and athleticism at the small forward position in the form of Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Chandler Parsons.
Coach Dave Joerger may occasionally need a shift in pace from the grounded brute in Zach Randolph, and that’s when Green can step in at the four and give the Grizzlies some flexibility. Green’s quickness and stature will also enable him to stay in front of elite wings at the 3 as well.
While it’s certainly possible for a team to regress after acquiring good players who disrupt team chemistry (see: 2013 Lakers), one of Jeff Green’s best qualities consists of his positive presence in the locker room. Green’s calm demeanor is dissimilar to that of Rudy Gay, whose desire to be the go-to option during his time in Memphis put the game plan in disarray.
“The program I came from preached play defense, do your job, get your teammate open and don’t be selfish,” Green said to ESPN in 2013. “Then I get to the NBA, and it’s the total opposite.”
Green was referencing the Boston media who constantly carped at him for not asserting himself enough.
“I know what people want,” Green said in the same interview. “They want . They want KG. They want Rondo. Guys who are confrontational. I have my days like everyone else, but mostly I’m the calm guy. I’m the laid-back one.”
Based on the quote above, Green should make a seamless transition into the culture that’s already been established by two of the most benevolent players in the league: Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. Jeff Green doesn’t carry any harmful baggage with him, and he’ll serve as a huge upgrade for Memphis at the small forward slot.
The Negatives
Playing on a contender where his duties will likely be mitigated as the third or fourth best player should entail a spike in efficiency for Green; however, there isn’t suffice evidence to support this theory.
In 2010-11, Green was traded from a Western Conference title contender in Oklahoma City to an Eastern Conference contender in Boston. Both clubs generated open looks for Green, yet he shot just 30 percent from beyond the arc — which is identical to the 30.5 percent he shot for a depleted Boston team this year.
As for the mid-range, Green shoots just 33 percent from such areas for his career on very minimal shot attempts.
Although he’s played on multiple 50-plus win teams, only once has his team outscored its opponent while Green was on the floor — that was five years ago and it was by only one point. Though much of his playing time with OKC was alongside Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, the Thunder were still slightly outscored.
OKC then decided to trade Green mid-season for Kendrick Perkins, and Green finished the season playing on a loaded Celtics team featuring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo. Still, When Jeff Green was on the court, the Celtics were outscored by three points per 100 possessions. The fact that Green was a net minus despite playing with a glut of future Hall of Famers is pretty egregious.
Additionally, Green has always been an average finisher at the hoop, as he shot 64 percent within 3 feet both this year and for his career — which would be good for sixth best on the current Grizzlies team. It would be a surprise to see Green’s driving skills translating well to the Grizzlies.
Green is accustomed to playing with bigs who spread the floor and provide him with an open lane to the hoop (Serge Ibaka in OKC and Kevin Garnett and Jared Sullinger in Boston). With Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, and Kosta Koufos patrolling the lane, and a lack of three point shooting on the perimeter, Green will find his driving lanes a tad more congested than usual.
So while Green will no longer be shouldered with the burdens of a go-to scorer, chances are bleak that he will improve his efficiency in Memphis.
Nonetheless, Green is undoubtedly better than the players he has replaced, and the Grizzlies will remain a powerhouse in the Western Conference whether or not this trade pans out. If it does, however, and Green performs to his full aforementioned positive capacity, than the Grizzlies will likely hoist the Larry O’Brien Yrophy in June.