How Josh Green's Play Against Warriors Indicates Major Mavs Changes
The Dallas Mavericks rarely close games with Josh Green on the court. In their Western Conference Finals rematch against the Golden State Warriors, he not only got that chance but also made a big impact.
For Green, his impact was a major change from being essentially fazed out late in the Mavs' playoff run. On Tuesday, he finished with 13 points while shooting 5-7 from the floor and 3-5 from beyond the arc in 27 minutes, which was more playing time than he received in the whole Western Conference Finals.
"I haven’t really finished too many games in my three years in the NBA," Green said. "So as much as I was happy, not too many people get a chance to go on the court against Steph Curry and Klay [Thompson]. To be on the court at such a crucial time in the game it’s like what you dream of.
"It’s moments like that, so for me it’s cool to take a second to be able to realize what happened. Now it’s just like moving forward and getting ready for the next game.”
There has been a significant progression from Green, particularly as an outside shooter. He has recorded five games this season with multiple makes from beyond the arc, which he didn't do last season until his 61st performance. It wasn't until the playoffs that he ever made at least three 3s within the same game, either. He's already done that three times, including a career-high performance with six makes.
“I think it’s just looking at it like what do you got to lose," Green said of his aggression taking open shots. "Last year, I was passing up on shots and quite frankly, they were bricking and missing and doing everything I didn’t want them to do.
"For me, this year just coming in and being confident. If I miss one you know just make the next one. I realize it hurts the team when you don’t shoot the open ball or you don’t do stuff like that. For me to just playing. If I’m open, I shoot it.”
In the opening quarter, Green was relied on to be ready to shoot from the weak-side corner when the defense collapsed on Doncic to protect the paint. He delivered by knocking down a pair of attempts, even if the pass required him to reach out to catch it before raising up to shoot.
Green's second make from deep was a great display of his confidence. Instead of overpassing or killing the flow of the possession by holding onto the ball too long, he faked a pass to the corner, and Curry fully committed as a result. Green bought himself a window to let it fly, which he capitalized on.
Spencer Dinwiddie was ejected early in the fourth quarter after a foul call was upgraded to a flagrant two. With Luka Doncic needing at least somewhat of a break after playing all of the third quarter, Green had to step up as the point guard.
Green did turn it over on a play, leading to a dunk. Dallas was outscored 7-2 in Green's true point guard short stint, but it's more opportunity for him to develop his game.
“No. When he first did, I was like, ‘dang, I haven’t played point guard in a while.’ I think when I made that turnover though I was like ‘it’s time to hoop,’ Green said When they started talking that’s when I realized just play the same basketball and just do what I do. I can’t count the amount of times I came off an on-ball screen in the NBA. You know it’s been only one or two times, but it’s just basketball – what I used to do. I try to just slow down and just play.”
Again, there's been significant growth in Green's execution as a spot-up shooter. It's not only reflected by the 50.0 percent clip he's converting at on the season, but also in the apparent change in his approach to be aggressive.
“I think it’s just looking at it like what do you got to lose. Last year, I was passing up on shots and quite frankly, they were bricking and missing and doing everything I didn’t want them to do.
"For me, this year just coming in and being confident. If I miss one you know just make the next one. I realize it hurts the team when you don’t shoot the open ball or you don’t do stuff like that. For me to just playing. If I’m open, I shoot it.”
If Green does continue to convert at a strong clip from 3-point range, defenses will have to start closing out more aggressively on him. When that happens, he's going to open up opportunities to attack off the catch to either finish at the rim, or draw help and find an open teammate on the pass.
Green showed off his impressive ability to make tough plays after leaving his feet on an attack off the catch. When Jordan Poole engaged him tightly on the catch, he attacked the paint and drew help early. With Davis Bertans in the weak-side corner, he felt confident enough to try a 360 in the air before the pass.
As Doncic often likes to say, there is plenty of things that Green provides to the Mavs that go beyond the box score. Among those things is the energy and pestering as an on-ball defender down the stretch — never allowing him to get comfortable with the ball.
One play that stood out was when Green did a quality of job of stopping the ball against Poole, prompting him to try to throw a lazy pass to the corner. Doncic was able to time his pursuit of the pass well and came with a pivotal steal, resulting in a scoring opportunity on the other end.
Perhaps most important of all down the stretch was the play that Green drove aggressively to the rim while Doncic served as a decoy. It was a great way to catch the Warriors' defense on their heels in a pivotal moments of the game. It's also a play that other wings on the Mavs cannot make.
When Green is aggressive on catch-and-shoot attempts and converts at an efficient clip, it sets the tone for how he completes the unit that he's playing with. However, he offers plenty of layers on both ends that the other wing players on the team simply are unable to do. Seeing him put it all together has helped the Mavs in the short-term and only will more down the line.
The Mavs have experienced a lot of success with Doncic and Green sharing the floor together this season. Before the start of Wednesday's NBA action, they rank 10th in net rating (20.9) among all 720 two-man combinations with at least 150 minutes. There's a lot to like about how they fit together. How it continues to get utilized and built on going forward will be fascinating to see.
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