Boston Celtics: What To Expect From Jeff Green In 2013-14

The relationship between Jeff Green and the Boston Celtics has been a roller-coaster ride ever since Green entered the league in 2007. The Celtics originally selected Green with the fifth overall pick in the 2007 draft, but then traded the 6’9” forward to the then-Seattle SuperSonics in the package that landed Boston Ray Allen and subsequently led to Danny Ainge forming the “Big Three.”

While Green was part of an exciting young core of players that became the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Celtics went on to win the 2007-08 NBA championship and reached the Finals in 2010. It was in the following season that Green would be reunited with the team that originally drafted him as he was traded at the deadline in February 2011. Green, along with Nenad Krstic and a first-round pick, were traded to Boston for Nate Robinson and one of the Celtics’ most beloved players at the time, Kendrick Perkins. “Perk” had been with the team since being drafted and had forged a strong friendship with the team, particularly Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and coach Doc Rivers. It was a tough transition for Green, coming in to a locker room that had just lost one of its core members and playing in front of fans who could not work out why Ainge had traded away the team’s starting center for a small forward. Green struggled in his first season with Boston. He averaged just 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and less than an assist per game in 23 minutes. It was hard to fit in with the set structures and identity the team had forged in previous years and Green did his best to adjust while not rocking the boat.

Jeff Green will get his chance to shine for the Celtics in 2013-14. (NBA.com photo)

In December 2011, Green signed a one-year deal worth $9 million with the Celtics, allowing both he and the team a full season to assess things before making any long-term commitments. However, just days later Green was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, a heart condition that required immediate surgery. Green would subsequently fail his physical, his deal was rescinded and he missed the entire 2011-12 season as he recovered from his life-changing operation. He maintained contact with the team, was often at games and stayed in touch with many of the players, he was essentially part of the team even if it was in an unofficial capacity.

Danny Ainge then stunned many when he signed Green to a four-year, $36 million contract in August 2012. Green had been a productive player in Oklahoma City, but he had never really taken the next jump in his career and coupled with recent health problems the $9 million per year price tag seemed rather high. Again, many questioned Ainge’s decision and in turn, Green’s performance was put under a microscope.

So, after all the drama, Green finally had his chance to spend an entire season with Boston in 2012-13. While he was still recovering from his surgery, he improved his averages to 12.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 27.9 minutes per game. Not eye-popping numbers by any stretch of the imagination, but it is when we look at his drastic jump in production later in the season, as well as his increased role for 2013-14 that we start to get an idea of what we could be in for this season.

Green is possibly the only player on the roster who is guaranteed to be starting from day one. Rajon Rondo is under an injury cloud and the rest of the team will battle throughout the offseason to establish themselves at the other positions and impress rookie coach Brad Stevens. Green is still on the upward swing of his career arc but also has a great deal more experience than most of the Celtics’ roster and will be relied on by Stevens as a leader as well as a go to scorer.

Jeff Green should lead the Celtics in scoring for the 2013-14 NBA season. Photo Credit: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule

After the All-Star break in 2013, Green broke out and averaged more than 17 points per game on .493 shooting. While playing 33.5 minutes he also averaged five rebounds and 2.6 assists as he established himself as a starter and found comfort in his role on the veteran team. In the 17 games he started, Green averaged more than 20 points per game and on the six occasions he played more than 40 minutes that number jumps to more than 23. Quite simply, when given the opportunity and the court time, Green produced effectively and efficiently for the Celtics.

Green once again shined in the playoffs, where in six games against the New York Knicks he played more than 43 minutes per game and averaged 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and shot better than 45 percent from 3. He obviously had the benefit of playing with veterans such as Garnett and Paul Pierce, but the team was also playing without Rondo, who is the primary facilitator of the offense.

Now, with Pierce and Garnett having been traded to Brooklyn, the focus falls squarely on Green and Rondo to not only lead the team on the court but be the vocal leaders off it. Green has had the benefit of playing alongside some of the league’s greatest stars in his career such as Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Pierce and Garnett, which often took the attention and in turn, the defensive spotlight away from him. No longer will Green be able to drift in and out of games playing his “role,” that role now becomes that of leading a team in scoring, which is something he has never had the burden nor the opportunity to achieve before.

Green has all the tools, all the skills to be one of the best forwards in the NBA. He has the ability to shoot from outside, to create offense for himself and is among the league’s best finishers at the rim. He made a habit of routinely putting opposing forwards on a poster as he claimed a number of the best dunks in 2012-13. Green’s assertiveness at the tail end of next season is a great sign for the team going forward. Green, who today celebrates his 27th birthday (Happy birthday, Jeff) will now get the freedom to take as many shots as he wants, to control the offense and control games without having to defer to more established star players.

Rondo will still be the key to the Celtics’ offense, but even with an improvement in his shooting he will not be the type of scorer that can lead a team in that category for a season. The Celtics also have a number of players more than capable of leading the team in scoring on a nightly basis, but none of them are capable of doing it night in, night out over the course of 82 games. The only player who has the talent, the fitness and the experience to do that this year is Jeff Green. He will feel the pressure of defenses like he rarely has before but the hope is that he embraces the challenge and adapts to the additional attention, maintaining his efficiency and consistency throughout the season.

Danny Ainge has completely overhauled the Celtics’ roster in the offseason and while the aim is to rebuild around young players and the bag of draft picks the team has up its sleeve, there is still the matter of the upcoming season. The Celtics will likely endure a long, tough season after experiencing six years of brilliance during the “Big Three” era, but the show must go on. The team will still suit up 82 times, they will still need to score and they will need someone to lead them. While Rondo recovers, Green is now the man in Boston and he will have free reign to prove to everyone he was worthy of his high draft selection, worthy of the big contract extension and worthy of the opportunity to become more than just a role player. Green will likely see the most minutes per game of any Celtic and is poised to see career high statistics across the board. Averaging over 20 points per game is well and truly within reach for Green and if he plays to his abilities, the Celtics could have themselves a Most Improved Player award candidate on their hands which would be wonderful news in a season that could be rough in the grand scheme of things.

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