Danny Green On X-Factors Of Potential Playoff Series With Clippers
Danny Green knows Kawhi Leonard and his tendencies very well.
He played alongside Leonard on two NBA championship teams, in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs and 2019 with the Toronto Raptors.
If the NBA resumes this summer during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lakers and Clippers could meet in the playoffs, pitting Green and Leonard against each other.
Green gave his thoughts on how the Lakers could stop Leonard and their hallway rivals in a recent interview with ESPN's "First Take."
“It’s not just him that’s unstoppable,” Green said. “There’s a lot of guys in this league you’re not going to stop. You can contain them, so the best bet, especially in the playoffs is try to contain most teams‘ All-Stars or their superstars and limit their role players."
Green pointed out that the Clippers have a lot of really talented players besides Leonard. And they could be the difference makers.
“You don’t want other guys going off," Green said. "Obviously we want to try to limit Paul [George], Lou Williams and 'Trez [Montrezl Harrell]. I think the difference makers in the playoffs are really not [the All-Stars]. It’s the guys that step up, the X-Factors. There’s two or three roles players on each team that can change a series.”
The Lakers (49-14) are in first place in the Western Conference, 5 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Clippers (44-20).
If the season were to resume, Green, a player representative for the Lakers, believes Orlando is the most likely location for games to be held.
“It looks like we have multiple options for locations, but I think [they're] leaning toward Orlando and Disney to where it’s the safest,” Green said.
Green also discussed how much time players would need to get into game shape, adding that "it's crucial" they have a ramp-up period so they don't get seriously injured.
“For guys to get back in playing shape, you need at least two to three weeks of guys actually being able to do some type of working out," Green said. "Most guys aren’t able to get on a court or in the gym."
Green added that some players would return from the extended hiatus, which began on March 11, in better shape than others and it's important to account for everyone's level of fitness.
“If they’ve been doing some running around the hills, the beaches, the streets, they won’t be that far out of shape," Green said. "If they are that far out of shape, they‘re going to need at least three to four weeks. We’ll need at least two weeks of playing time or some training camps, where we get back to playing shape to where it’s safe to say guys can play healthy and good minutes without injuring themselves.”
