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.
Next: The Good and The Bad
The Good and The Bad
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/25/2015.
Willie Green is never going to look pretty on a box score. His field goal percentage was an obscene 38.6 percent and his effective field goal percentage was 45.4 percent. Just yuck.
The sad part is that those were all just below his career averages. That is how mediocre Green’s statistical contributions can be.
As fun as the #IsoWillie hashtags were, they were actually pretty bad for the Magic offense. He was in iso situations for 8.7 percent of his possessions scoring 0.69 points per possessions. That is bad.
As a spot-up shooter, Green scored 0.95 points per possession, shooting on 32.5 percent of his possessions. A much better mark.
To say the least, Green was most effective offensively when he did not have to put the ball down on the floor and he could be used just to spread the floor. Green averaged 2.0 drives per game — fifth on the team! — and scored 2.1 team points per game on drives.
Green was asked to do a lot of things he really should not have been asked to do at this stage of his career. The Magic put a lot on him and he did his best.
He was put on the roster for his intangibles — to show up and be a professional, doing what was asked of him to the best of his ability. Green did not have the ability to perform the role the Magic needed from him. The fact they had to ask him to play that role was probably a sign of how bad things were going for the Magic.
Considering all of that though, Green played about as well as he could. You could never fault his effort or his professionalism throughout the season.
A player who started the year a bit surprised he would be playing for the Magic ended it hoping he could return and continue to be a mentor for the young players on the roster.
Next: Best Game of 2015
Best Game of 2015
Feb. 22 vs. 76ers
16 pts., 6/10 FGs, 2/5 3FGs
The plus/minus choice would have been the 20-point comeback the Magic made against the Hornets in November. Green was a +24 in that game because he happened to be on the floor as the Magic made a big second-half comeback to steal that game on the road.
His best and most efficient individual effort came in the February win over the 76ers.
For whatever reason, Orlando has struggled against Philadelphia since the two teams started going through this rebuild. The Magic have lost several times already to the young Sixers — more indictment on Jacque Vaughn.
James Borrego did not and Willie Green’s efficient effort off the bench helped secure the win.
This was the game where Nikola Vucevic posted 31 points and the Magic feasted in the paint. Green actually took the third most shots on the team, and was pretty efficient at 6 for 10.
Green did most of his damage in the first half, scoring nine points on 4-for-5 shooting as the Magic built as large as a 12-point lead and controlled the game throughout, having to pull ahead at the end and make sure they scored this win.
Green sometimes would have these hot streaks and go on “big” scoring runs. That made him seem worthwhile. His shooting was streaky, but when he was able to get his shot going, he was a very valuable contributor.
His game though is never about his individual accomplishment.
Next: 2016 Outlook
2016 Outlook
It is still uncertain whether Willie Green will even play next season. Green has said he hopes to play a few more years. But a team needs to want him.
Green is a free agent this summer. The Magic are not likely going to be in a rush to sign him. He is probably looking at taking a minimum contract no matter where he goes. Green is not the kind of player to wrangle a two-year, $9 million contract or something to that effect.
Green played well this season and teams know exactly what he provides. That is what happens when you have played in the league for 12 years. Whether that is still useful even at the end of a bench is somewhat debatable.
It is not that Green did not play well in his only season in Orlando. He largely did for the player he is. It is that Green has been hanging on by a thread in the league for quite some time anyway. Veteran leadership can only get you so far when you are looking for a new contract.
The Magic could very well re-sign Green. It would not be the worst decision they could make. So long as Green is in a “veteran leadership” role again and, unlike this season, not relied upon for many meaningful minutes.
As a minimum player, Green is the kind of player who is likely not going to see a contract offer of any kind come his way until August, maybe even late August.
All he needs is to be wanted, and he will have a place in the NBA. But he is roster filler so his future is out of his hands.
Next: Final Grade
Final Grade
When the Magic brought him in though, I do not think they imagined he would be playing all that much. Maybe a few spot minutes at the beginning of the season and bits and pieces here and there. His value came from his presence in the locker room and his leadership as a veteran for a team with an average age that cannot rent a car without insurance.
Who knows if the Magic will still need this role?
Unfortunately, throughout the entire season, Willie Green was asked to do more than fill this original role. He was asked to be a rotation player. He was asked to play backup point guard. He was asked to be a scoring threat and help spread the floor.
In his 10-plus years in the NBA, he has never been asked to do anything like this. Certainly not for a team that did not already have pieces in place to compete.
Green was not capable of performing the role the Magic asked of him. He has not done that throughout his 10-year career. The player he is was not going to succeed individually in the role the Magic seemed to have carved out for him.
To Green’s credit, he played the best he could within that role and within his ability. He was not perfect at all. He did not fill that role.
But that is not why the Magic brought Green in. Green was largely brought in to be a veteran presence and provide a good example. And he did that.
He was an extreme professional throughout the season. He could have complained about going from the Clippers and getting picked up off waivers to a team like the Magic. Instead, he embraced the role and opportunity. He earned playing time through his consistency, beating out younger players who probably should have been playing over him.
There is something admirable in that. If Green were playing the role the team actually envisioned for him, his season might have been considered a success. So what that I curved him up for being asked to do more than he could do.
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B-
Willie Green did not play like a B- in any sense. Really he had a C or C- year in terms of his actual play.
When the Magic brought him in though, I do not think they imagined he would be playing all that much. Maybe a few spot minutes at the beginning of the season and bits and pieces here and there. His value came from his presence in the locker room and his leadership as a veteran for a team with an average age that cannot rent a car without insurance.
Who knows if the Magic will still need this role?
Unfortunately, throughout the entire season, Willie Green was asked to do more than fill this original role. He was asked to be a rotation player. He was asked to play backup point guard. He was asked to be a scoring threat and help spread the floor.
In his 10-plus years in the NBA, he has never been asked to do anything like this. Certainly not for a team that did not already have pieces in place to compete.
Green was not capable of performing the role the Magic asked of him. He has not done that throughout his 10-year career. The player he is was not going to succeed individually in the role the Magic seemed to have carved out for him.
To Green’s credit, he played the best he could within that role and within his ability. He was not perfect at all. He did not fill that role.
But that is not why the Magic brought Green in. Green was largely brought in to be a veteran presence and provide a good example. And he did that.
He was an extreme professional throughout the season. He could have complained about going from the Clippers and getting picked up off waivers to a team like the Magic. Instead, he embraced the role and opportunity. He earned playing time through his consistency, beating out younger players who probably should have been playing over him.
There is something admirable in that. If Green were playing the role the team actually envisioned for him, his season might have been considered a success. So what that I curved him up for being asked to do more than he could do.