Josh Green Doing Dirty Work for ‘Title-Contending’ Mavs
Although Luka Doncic (toe sprain) didn’t play in the Dallas Mavericks’ 19-point comeback victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, there was no shortage of ‘hero’ storylines to choose from.
Spencer Dinwiddie — who has been a godsend for the Mavs since coming over from the Washington Wizards in the Kristaps Porzingis trade — scored a season-high 36 points and dished out seven assists. It was the highest scoring output for Dinwiddie since Dec. 30, 2019. Jalen Brunson scored 23 points of his own and flung the final assist of the game to Dorian Finney-Smith, who nailed a corner 3-pointer to seal the victory.
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
All of those individual performances were incredible in Doncic’s absence, but one of the more underrated and important contributions came from second-year shooting guard Josh Green, who ended up notching the first double-double of his career against the Kings with 12 points (4-of-6 shooting) and a career-high 12 rebounds. The Mavs are now 10-1 this when Green scores at least eight points or more.
Green is still raw on the offensive end of the court a lot of the time, but he’s shown flashes of how his game can continue develop in that area going forward. For now, though, Green earns his minutes strictly because of how hard he plays — as evident by his tenacious defense and career-high six offensive boards on Saturday.
“I think going into this year, my whole goal was to be more confident and feel more comfortable, but at the end of the day it grows every time you play,” said Green after an energizing performance against the Kings.
“I think that's for everything in life. For me, it's the more experience I get, the more confidence I get. Just continue to get on a roll and stay positive.”
Slowly but surely, Green’s 3-point shot is developing to the point where teams now have to at least respect him instead of disregarding him all together. Last season, Green only shot 4-of-25 (16 percent) from deep in 39 games as a rookie. This season, Green is shooting 15-of-43 (34.9 percent) from deep in 49 games as a sophomore.
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© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Those 3-point numbers are still a small sample size, but it can also be considered major progress based on how hesitant Green was to start his career. Green has also raised his overall field-goal percentage from 45.2 percent last year to 51.7 percent this year (with a 58.2 true-shooting percentage).
“We have a team now that’s a playoff team, a championship team,” said Green. “So for me, it’s finding where can I fit myself.
“I watch film, I watched the team the year before I came into the draft and I was like, you know what? I think just being a defender and doing all the little stuff, moving the ball, creating room – it could be just as simple as a cut and you aren't going to get recognition for it – but at the end of the day, it’s going to help our team win.”
Every great championship-level team needs selfless role players like Green who thrive while doing the dirty work. Not only has that mindset helped Green find individual success on the court, but it’s inspiring his Mavs teammates to up their effort levels as well.
“I think for me, it’s finding those little things I can do,” said Green. “Which will get me called first [and foremost], and then just building off of that. ... You know, just taking your time.”
The Mavs have indeed let Green take his time with his development, as coach Jason Kidd has allowed him to play through his mistakes and learn from them. If this upward trajectory continues, Green could potentially find himself playing crucial minutes for Dallas in the playoffs.
