Mavs WATCH: Josh Green Australia Highlights vs. Finland
OKINAWA, Japan — To begin play at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Australia pulled off a 98-72 victory over a Finland squad that features NBA All-Star Lauri Markkanen. The Dallas Mavericks were represented by Josh Green and Dante Exum in this game.
Green was originally slotted to start over Matisse Thybulle for Australia when World Cup play began, but an injury late in the preparation process limited him to coming off the bench. He played only 14 minutes as a result, finishing with six points, three rebounds, and two steals.
While Green's box score stats do not jump off the page from this performance, he did provide needed defensive versatility on the wing. The execution the defense had on switches and helping against drives was partly due to Green being among a group of perimeter defenders willing to fly around and do the dirty work.
"We've never had that length and athleticism like that [in Tokyo]," Australia coach Brian Goorjian said. "And it was different for Australia. Now, you add Josh Green, you add Xavier Cooks, you add Jack White. We've got more depth there, it's switchable, and even our point guard's 6-foot-8."
Goorjian continued: "We're small in the five and four, but versatility, I've never had versatility like this, and the depth in versatility that I have now."
Watch Green's full highlights from his performance against Finland in the embedded video below. Check back with DallasBasketball.com more highlights and analysis throughout the World Cup.
With Green being in a contract year with the Mavs, the best-case scenario is that he receives more opportunity the longer he's back from injury to enable him to showcase more impact on offense. Most of his contributions came late in the game and he was largely not impacting much on that end.
The next match for Australia will take place on Sunday, Aug. 27, against Germany.
Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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