Jeff Green has had a mercurial, up-and-down career. So far in the preseason, Jeff Green has been one of the nicer surprises for the Orlando Magic.
Jeff Green caught the ball at the top of the key and surveyed the defense in the middle of the third quarter of Wednesday’s game.
Green, the sometimes mercurial and frustrating former lottery pick has had a roundabout career of seemingly missed potential and empty promises. Everywhere he goes, hopes get high that he will unlock his versatility and talent and coalesce into a potential star. Each 30-point game — he had 11 games of 20 points or more including a 30-point game against the Orlando Magic in Memphis.
Green bounded through the lane and to the basket, laying it in.
Throughout the preseason, the same scenario has played itself out. Green receives the ball and makes something good happen with it. He has stood out more than anyone else.
“Jeff’s been great,” coach Frank Vogel said following Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. “He has been a real pleasant surprise for us. Just giving us solid play on both ends. Great veteran savvy, know-how and leadership. But he is producing. He is scoring the basketball and making good offensive plays. We can put the ball in his hands and feel like something good will happen for us.”
Green scored 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting in the game against the Spurs with a team-high +11. Friday against the Pacers, he scored 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting with a +10.
In four games (he got the day off Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks), Green is averaging 14.5 points per game with a 54.7 percent effective field goal percentage. These are strong numbers. And surprising numbers.
Green averaged 11.7 points per game with a 47.0 effective field goal percentage. It would not be surprising to see Green fall back to these numbers — Basketball-Reference projects him to shoot 42.6 percent from the floor and 15.9 points per 36 minutes.
For now, Green is experiencing freedom and confidence as the Magic’s most controversial signing is delivering early.
“It’s big when you have coach supporting my every move,” Green said. “He has the confidence in me to let me be Jeff Green. I’m just taking what the defense gives me, playing within the offense, playing within our system and trying to help the team.”
Green’s role is still fairly simple.
The Magic may rely on him some to be a sixth man, but his role is mostly to stabilize the second unit and provide veteran leadership. He said his job is to be a spokesperson for the team through his voice and his actions. He has already spoken up in film sessions as the Magic try to set a new standard.
But Green, even at 30 years old, is not going out quietly into the night. He still feels he can contribute something. The Magic clearly believed that too in giving him a one-year, $15-million deal.
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The story on Green has always been his inconsistency. Throughout his career everyone has expected a lot out of him. And he has failed to live up to those expectations.
The going meme on social media is making fun of people who believe in Jeff Green. Feeling satisfied with the Jeff Green experience has been about tempering expectations.
It is not that Green is a bad player. He is more than serviceable. He just never quite reached the expectations others had for him. When they see his athleticism and ability, they just expect more.
And his versatility and all the skills he has are still very valuable.
“He’s so versatile with his game that I think in today’s NBA that likes to play a lot of small lineups especially at the 4 position, you can’t have enough of those guys,” Vogel said. “To have someone with that skill level and experience level, he’s going to be a big part of our success this year.”
At this point in his career, teams know what they are going to get with Jeff Green. Bringing him off the bench could help him gain some more consistency and use his tools in a much more successful way.
There does seem to be something of a liberation for Green. As Green, like he said before, feels he has the freedom to be himself so far this preseason. Green said following Friday’s game Vogel has allowed Green to explore and experience, make mistakes and just play basketball. That freedom has helped Green play well.
Green’s play has been noticeable. So too largely has the bench unit Green has anchored. The bench saved games against the San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers earlier this week as the starters struggled to come out of the gate. They created an energy that the starting unit has lacked and propelled the team forward in those two games.
Green’s value is in his versatility. He fits the Magic’s defensive switching strategy. And teammates already see how much he can add to their team.
“I think Jeff can bring a lot of things to this team,” Serge Ibaka said Friday. “He can play the 3 and 4. Especially on defense. With him, we are more comfortable to switch 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. You don’t really see that a lot. Having Jeff, the way he can shoot the ball and put it on the floor makes us a much better team.”
The question with Green is whether he can unlock this potential consistently. That has been the story for his career.
It is easy to get excited now, but that excitement can quickly dissipate if he struggles — Green had those 11 games with 20 points or more but also 13 games with five points or less. This has been the story throughout Green’s career.
In the preseason, Green has certainly shown why he is so talented and why so many teams have given him a chance and continue to believe in him. In all likelihood, he becomes reliable for a little more than 10 points per game and a strong offensive option off the bench. A possible Sixth Man.
Next: Orlando Magic Preview: At least they're watching
So far, Green has been the most pleasant surprise of the preseason. Giving the Magic more reason to believe their bench will make a real difference this season.