Phoenix Suns: Gerald Green Proving To Be The X-Factor
By Evan Massey
The Phoenix Suns have gotten the exact type of X-Factor play from Gerald Green that they need.
Gerald Green was acquired by the Phoenix Suns in a trade with the Indiana Pacers that sent Luis Scola out of town. The Suns also acquired current starting center Miles Plumlee in the trade. Many thought of the trade as a win for the Pacers, but after a full season and the start of another those sentiments have changed.
Both Plumlee and Green have stepped into major roles for the Suns, and they both have been allowed to play their style of basketball in Phoenix. The Pacers haven’t had great luck with free agency acquisitions, and part of that has to do with head coach Frank Vogel’s unwillingness to allow players to play the way that makes them successful. Green is a prime example of that point, and he has been exactly the type of X-Factor that the Suns need this year.
Through the first 16 games of the season that he has played in, Green has averaged 14.8 points per game and has nailed 34 three-point shots.
Needless to say, those numbers coming off the bench are the type of numbers that every team needs a player to bring to the table. He has been an electric shooter and scorer, and has brought energy to the court each and every time that he has checked into the game.
Green got off to a slow start in his NBA career after skipping out on college and heading directly into the NBA Draft. He simply didn’t have the maturity to get in the gym and work on his game, and his attitude issues have been very well documented. Those issues forced him to take some time away from the NBA, but he matured and has gotten a new opportunity and has made the most of it so far.
At just 28 years of age, he is in his prime and is playing the best and most consistent basketball of his career. His role is simply to bring scoring to the Suns’ second unit, and that is one area that he fits into their system perfectly. They love to get up and down the court quickly, and his shooting ability as well as athleticism make him an incredibly dangerous player in a running system.
Not only have the Suns gotten him to play at a very high level, they have seen his attitude improve immensely. Perhaps it is simply due to having success and playing consistent minutes, but he is energized and playing as hard as possible each and every night out there.
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Phoenix is going through a bit of a rough start to the season at 10-6, but they are still figuring out how to play together. Goran Dragic hasn’t been too happy with his role this season after the Suns signed Isaiah Thomas this past offseason to be a third point guard. Green has stepped his game up in a big way this year, and has been the consistent scoring threat that they have needed.
If the Suns are going to make the playoffs this season and live up to their potential, they are going to need Green to continue playing like he has been thus far. There aren’t many players that have the type of skill-set that Green possesses, and he is absolutely thriving this season and especially over the past couple of weeks. Consistency could be improved a bit, but for the most part he has done an excellent job of coming through for his team when they need him.
Expect to see Green continue the type of performances that he has put up this season, and for him to continue being the Suns’ X-Factor for the rest of the season.