Mavs Make Contract Move on Josh Green: 'Betting On Improvement'
DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks had high expectations for Josh Green after selecting him with the No. 18 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. ... and they are hanging onto those expectations with Tuesday's announcement that they are exercising the option on his contract, meaning about a $3 million salary in 2022-23.
The 6'-5 athletic, defensive-minded wing was always considered to be a 'raw' prospect when it came to offense, and he did struggle shooting the ball when he actually got to play for former head coach Rick Carlisle. But overall, we're not sure we can put too much stock into Green's numbers last season given the lack of volume. And we do believe new coach Jason Kidd has a plan to involve the younger guys.
Green appeared in a grand total of 39 games last season, but he only played 15 minutes or more in 15 of those games. So before people call him a 'bust' because of his underwhelming averages of 2.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, that context needs to be considered.
Despite Green's struggles shooting from deep last season (he shot just 4-of-25 from three), shooting 45 percent overall and 56 percent on two-point shots was encouraging to see. Green also lived up to his reputation of being a relentless, energetic defender. Although Green has room for improvement all the way around this season and beyond, his tenacious play on the defensive end of the court is what will ensure that he keeps getting opportunities under Kidd.
Expectations for Green
Green should get some opportunities early and often during the first couple of months of the season, but solidifying a rotation role off the bench will depend on his improvements as a shooter and his ability to distribute the ball.
One of the more surprising parts of Green's game last season was when he showed off some of his flashy passing, something a lot of us didn't know he had in him at the time. We've talked at length about how the Mavs needed to add more secondary playmaking over the offseason, but failed to do so. Green alone won't be able to fill that void, but at the very least, he's shown enough flashes to give the Mavs hope of him having an impact in that department.
Overall, we wouldn't expect Green to average double-digits in points, rebounds or assists this season, but we do expect him to play in a lot more than the 39 games he did as a rookie, and his minutes per game could jump from 11.4 to a little over 15 per game as well if he progresses the way he should.
Don't go betting big money on Green becoming a fringe-starter level player in Year 2, but he's got his contract extension, and one thing you can comfortably bet on is improvement. And given what happened last season, that's all we can really ask for.
