Willie Green could have been unsure of the Orlando Magic when they picked him up. He found his calling as a veteran leader in an unideal situation.
Even Willie Green was surprised when the Orlando Magic picked him up off waivers. Then again, Green needed to punch the Magic off his NBA journeyman card. One more and I think he gets a free 12-inch sub or something.
Green has seen a lot in his career. And that was exactly why the Magic jumped at the chance to grab his expiring contract off waivers.
He was brought in to be the veteran. It was no coincidence his locker was next to Victor Oladipo‘s (and nearby Elfrid Payton‘s). The hope was Green would provide a veteran presence, be in the young players’ ears and give advice when asked. He was the example for the players.
Green has never been a player to produce a ton on the stat line. That has never been his role. He is in there to play defense, help regulate and run the offense and make an open shot when he gets the opportunity. You do not want him playing too many minutes, but need this kind of player in practice.
Unfortunately, the Magic needed and he earned his way into major minutes throughout the season. That was frustrating for fans. There were few scenarios in which anyone thought they would see Green playing ahead of Maurice Harkless or Green playing backup point guard minutes.
It is hard to tell exactly how or why this happened. Green certainly played consistently enough that the coaching staff could count on him to do certain things reliably. If he outplayed Harkless and others for playing time, that probably says more about how bad some of those players were.
Was Green capable of filling the role the Magic asked of him and have the Magic be a successful team? Probably not. Green played the most minutes per game since 2011 this past season.
He helped stabilize things and do his work, but the role he was asked to play called for a little more impact. An impact Green is not a player a team should rely on to provide.
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