What Are The Memphis Grizzlies Going To Do With Jeff Green?
By D. Goodman
When the Memphis Grizzlies acquired forward Jeff Green last January from the Boston Celtics, he was supposed to be the missing piece that the team needed to go to the next level. With the addition of Green and the 17.6 points and 4.3 rebounds he had been averaging with the Celtics, it was expected to be the spark that the Grizzlies offense needed to make a serious run at an NBA Championship.
Shame it didn’t work out that way.
Instead, Green struggled in David Joerger’s system and saw his averages dip down to 13.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as well as 36.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He lasted a whole two games as a starter before he moved to the bench, playing behind Tony Allen and, other than an occasional glimpse of greatness, looked lost and confused when he was on the floor.
So one has to wonder what is Memphis going to do with Green now?
Green has a player option that will pay him $9.2 million for the 2015-16 season and all indications is that he will decide to exercise it. Really, after the season he had, Green would be foolish not to. Marc Stein of ESPN seems to think there is a chance that Green and his agent David Falk may try to test the free agent waters, but most would be shocked to see that happen.
Which means that in all likelihood Green will be on the Grizzlies’ roster next season. With that being the case, there are really only two options of what to do with soon-to-be 29-year-old small forward: hope he has a rebound season next year and plays like he is capable or trade him.
Green has shown that he is good and play at a high level. If you look at his stats from when he played for the Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder and the Celtics you can see that he has the skills and can excel.
| Season | Age | Tm | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08 | 21 | SEA | 80 | 28.2 | .427 | .276 | .444 | .744 | 4.7 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 10.5 |
| 2008-09 | 22 | OKC | 78 | 36.8 | .446 | .389 | .463 | .788 | 6.7 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 16.5 |
| 2009-10 | 23 | OKC | 82 | 37.1 | .453 | .333 | .503 | .740 | 6.0 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 15.1 |
| 2010-11 | 24 | TOT | 75 | 32.4 | .449 | .303 | .499 | .811 | 4.8 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 13.3 |
| 2010-11 | 24 | OKC | 49 | 37.0 | .437 | .304 | .493 | .818 | 5.6 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 15.2 |
| 2010-11 | 24 | BOS | 26 | 23.5 | .485 | .296 | .514 | .794 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 9.8 |
| 2012-13 | 26 | BOS | 81 | 27.8 | .467 | .385 | .490 | .808 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 12.8 |
| 2013-14 | 27 | BOS | 82 | 34.2 | .412 | .341 | .448 | .795 | 4.6 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 16.9 |
| 2014-15 | 28 | TOT | 78 | 31.5 | .430 | .332 | .473 | .833 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 15.0 |
| 2014-15 | 28 | BOS | 33 | 33.1 | .434 | .305 | .495 | .840 | 4.3 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 17.6 |
| 2014-15 | 28 | MEM | 45 | 30.2 | .427 | .362 | .452 | .825 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 13.1 |
| Career | 556 | 32.6 | .439 | .342 | .473 | .791 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 14.3 | ||
| 4 seasons | SEA,OKC | 289 | 34.5 | .443 | .338 | .474 | .771 | 5.8 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 14.2 | |
| 4 seasons | BOS | 222 | 30.5 | .438 | .343 | .476 | .807 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 14.6 | |
| 1 season | MEM | 45 | 30.2 | .427 | .362 | .452 | .825 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 13.1 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/9/2015.
What was it about the situation in Memphis that caused his numbers to nosedive? It’s tough to say. It could have been the pressure of knowing he was supposed to be the final piece of the Grizzlies’ championship puzzle or it could have been problems adjusting to a team where defense is the priority instead of scoring.
Either way, Green has now had 47 games to adjust and get used to a new system so there is every chance he could emerge next season as the Jeff Green the Grizzlies traded for back in January.
The other option is to simply try to trade Green and be done with him. If the right trading parter could be found, this would definitely be the better way to go, especially if it could help the Grizzlies move up in the draft. Imagine packing their 25th overall pick with Green and then maybe being able to move up on draft night. Memphis could also just as easily find a team with payroll to burn and just unload him and his contract to free up some cap space and sign a free agent with some outside shooting skills.
Odds are that Green will be on the bench for the Grizzlies next season. It’s tough to know how patient the team will be with him if he starts out the 2015-16 season where he left off last year but it’s safe to say that unless Green makes a spectacular comeback and lives up to the hype, this will be the last season he will be wearing a Memphis Grizzlies uniform.
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