‘The Green Light’: Kidd Instilling Confidence in Mavs’ Blossoming Josh Green
Isn’t it amazing to witness what a turnaround a young NBA player can have when he’s given sustained opportunities to learn and develop?
Dallas Mavericks’ second-year shooting guard Josh Green is starting to make people feel silly for giving up on him so early in his career after having back-to-back career games and looking to be a mainstay in head coach Jason Kidd’s rotation.
“I think my whole mentality is just, when my name is called, make sure I am ready to go and bring to the team what they need,” said Green after a career-high 18-point performance in a blowout win over the Chicago Bulls.
“I feel like I was able to find a groove and [I’m just] trying to build off that and just continue to grow as a player.”
Growing is exactly what Green is doing. Even in limited opportunities under Rick Carlisle in his rookie season, it was evident that Green, despite being raw on the offensive end, had an extremely high motor and was a naturally good defender. Now, Green is slowly starting to put it all together, and he’s seeing the results of the hard work he’s put in after scoring 35 points on 14-of-17 shooting over his last two games.
Aside from showing off his elite athleticism with strong cuts to the basket or finishing off lobs from Luka Doncic, one of Green’s best attributes is his passing. He has very sharp vision and has really ‘wowed’ us with some of the opportunities he’s created for others this season.
“I think it is the whole idea that when you get inside of the paint, good things happen,” said Green of his ability to create for his teammates.
“Whether you are able to dish it out or get a layup. For me, anytime I can get one or two steps into the paint, it leads to something good.”
No one is happier to see Green succeed than his teammates and coaching staff. They all see the hard work he puts in day in and day out.
"This dude works, man," said Jalen Brunson of Green. "He works hard. He believes in himself. Us as teammates, we believe in him [too]."
And as for the coaching staff, Jason Kidd has instilled confidence in Green over the first half of this season by encouraging him to be himself on the court.
“[Josh] works very religiously on his shooting and ball handling," said Mavs assistant coach Sean Sweeney, who is filling in as head coach while Jason Kidd is in the NBA's health and safety protocols. "Coach [Kidd] has put it on him to play as hard as he can."
Playing hard is the only way Josh Green knows how to play, and his unique combination of elite athleticism, great vision, endless motor, and now, confidence, is something that could help propel the Dallas Mavericks to new heights.
"Being able to see minutes, being able to develop, being able to learn from my mistakes," said Green, is what has led to his second-year surge.
Now that Green has the ‘green light’ from his coach, we’ll see where he can take it from here. So far, so good.
