I didn’t say he played great. The fact was Curry wasnt guarding him the whole series and he certainly wasn’t stopping him every possession. If you think guys that are fast or great at driving can get by defenders every single time then you’re mistaken. Ever played 21 against someone better? Sure you can get one or two stops or steals etc. but you aint stopping them every single possession. again no way saying Green was or is great. But this narrative that he was useless or a 3rd string player is absurd
Nobody gives a shiet anymore about who he can get by. It's been 4 years and we still celebrating a guys first step. News flash blowing by your first defender means nothing when you just get your shet pushed in by the rim protector because you don't know how to finish with contact nor do you know how to pass to an open teammate. How many points did he actually score after blowing by Curry, 9 points a game on 30 percent shooting?
news flash not the point. I clearly stated my thoughts. No one celebrated anything. I don’t care whether you disagree or not. No need to create a new argument out of nothing for no apparent reason.
Maybe he'll be good one day but I'm just so happy that I don't have to be the one that hopes for that anymore. It's like a huge weight has been lifted off the team's shoulders. No more of this will he won't he bullshit. We just got a guy who's certified good today.
Green can absolutely become a better scorer as long as he plays with more space and as long as the competition is more soothed. If you remember the excellent performances he had back in March24, it stem exactly from these conditions - 1. Alpi was out and instead Bari was our starting 5, and Amen was the only none-outside threat in our offense. 2. Our team had low chances of getting to the play-in thus we had no pressure, plus we had an easy schedule. If these two conditions are met with the Suns (or at another team if they trade him), he can definitely improve his stats. With that said, it still doesn’t change the fact that Green, at least imo, is not a superstar material - the fact that he didn’t reach to a double-digit scoring games in 4/7 games in the playoffs is a huge red flag, despite the limitations of our offense. So even if he put on a great numbers with his new team, it still doesn’t necessarily mean he improved enough.
My main problem with Green is that we are discussing in what situation he can be a good scorer, and that in many situation he cannot be a good scorer. But scoring is the only strength that he brings. If he doesn't score he is of no use to the team. Other players bring other qualities so even if they do not score efficiently they are still a plus. Sengun didn't score efficiently in the play offs (while being guarded by the best player to defend him), but he brings so much more that he was still our best player. Jalen (currently) cannot be counted on to score efficiently, so even his main strength is not really a strength. Another thing is that am not a fan of his archetype. Even best case scenario's Levine, Booker Kobe, were players I do not enjoy watching. So I wish him the best but I am glad that we are not building around him anymore.
I wanted to believe in Jalen, but having essentially the same physique heading into year five tells me everything about his off season dedication to improvement. It was time.
First of all - overall I agree with you, I’m fine with the trade and glad we have Durant on our team. In Jalen’s defense, let’s not forget that there’s a difference between being a scorer and being a pure shooter. Jalen is a mediocre shooter at best, so in order to become a good scorer, he needs to play at a faster pace and with more space, so he can get more to the paint thus gaining more points. With that being said, I do agree that the fact that he had SO many games where he disappeared with less than 10 points is just frustrating. I mean, averaging 21 points is fine, but if you score 30 on one night and 10 on the other, it probably means you cost the team an L on the other night. A scorer needs to find the way to provide points even on rough nights (like - make more contact with defenders to draw more fouls and getting to the line) and Jalen just can do it.
NBA life is about to come at Jalen pretty fast. Hes no longer the first and highest pick of a rebuilt team. Hes no longer the highest priority ball handler. If he's even a starter. His efficiency better take a big leap because he wont lead their team in shots to make his counting stats look better. Suns will try to preserve whatever value he has left so eventually they can move him for something, but I wouldnt be shocked if whoever they pick in the draft is higher on the pecking order.
