Miami Heat: Gerald Green Coming Up Big

The Miami Heat have lost Luol Deng for the time being to a hamstring injury and Gerald Green is coming up big.

The Miami Heat have had a very strong start to the season. They had a dominant homestand, going 6-1 to help get them to a 10-5 record. A reason for that has been that they have been healthy, more often than not having the same starting lineup and rotation out there for every game.

But, the injury bug has hit the Heat, getting to the oft-injured Luol Deng. Deng is battling a left hamstring injury that has kept him out of the last two games and will keep him out of a third tonight against the Boston Celtics. For a team that is as lacking as the Heat on the bench in certain areas, the wing is not one of those places. They have been able to plug Gerald Green into his spot and have not missed a beat.

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Green has had his problems this season, getting suspended and missing a total of six games because of an off-court altercation. He struggled in the early going when he returned, but was picked by head coach Erik Spoelstra as the man to replace Deng in the starting lineup. It seems to have woken him up, as Green delivered a monster performance against the New York Knicks.

Green looked like his NBA 2K self, scoring at will, while being a strong defender. He showed off his whole arsenal offensively, attacking the rim and getting to the foul line five times, making all five attempts. He also hurt the Knicks from deep, knocking down 4-of-8 from three-point land as he had it all going. He made 8-of-14 on the night for 25 points, doing so in only 27 minutes as the Heat took control early in the second half and never looked back.

While the offensive explosion helped, where Green really earned his keep was on the defensive end. Replacing Deng in the starting lineup, it was up to Green to defend Carmelo Anthony, and that is exactly what he did.

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Green effectively shut Anthony down, holding him to 11 points on 4-of-13 from the field, as he missed his final eight shots in the game. Anthony finished the game with a plus/minus of minus-23 as well, as Green thoroughly owned the matchup.

Green’s combination of length and athleticism make him a weapon the Heat can use on both ends of the court. Offensively he is extremely gifted, as he can get to the basket with ease or knock down perimeter jump shots to help spread the floor. Defensively, he can guard multiple positions and fits into the Heat’s scheme when they play small ball. He can take pressure off of Dwyane Wade in the starting lineup by defending the best scorer on the opposing team, just as Deng was doing.

Deng should not be in danger of losing his starting spot to Green, but the Heat now know they have a luxury that many teams do not. They can allow Deng to sit out as long as he needs to fully recover from his injury as Green looks fully capable of filling in at small forward until he is ready to return.

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Green had a rocky start to his Heat tenure, but they are finally getting him comfortable with the team and reaping the benefits. Green will continue to start and should continue filling up the scoring column for the Heat while playing strong defense for one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.