NCAA Weekly Performers, 2/15/07-- Part One
Jeff Green, 6-9, Junior, SF/PF, Georgetown
Vs. Marquette: 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 turnover, 9-15 FG, 2-4 3P, 4-5 FT
Jonathan Givony
One of the most efficient players in the country lately, playing for one of the hottest teams in the NCAA--riding an 8-game Big East win streak--Jeff Green and Georgetown have bounced back from a slow start at the perfect time as far as their season goes.
It's no coincidence that the emergence of Green and his frontcourt partner Roy Hibbert has coincided with his team's recent success, as Green only averaged 9 points on 6 shots per game in Georgetown's five losses, hitting only two 3-pointers during that stretch. He's an incredibly influential part of their offense, a point-forward of sorts, and that is reflected in the 5.1 assists he averages per tempo-adjusted 40 minutes, second in this draft amongst small forward prospects only to Corey Brewer at 5.2. Georgetown plays a unique Princeton-type offense that may or may not suit his strengths and weaknesses as a player, but Green does everything for them on the court.
Standing 6-9 with a small forward's frame, he has good size for the 3-spot, but is certainly not a prototype as far as his hypothetical future NBA position goes. Cutting to the basket on back-door plays is another one of Georgetown's specialties, and Green finds a lot of success doing so thanks to his high basketball IQ. Green is very solid getting off his feet, and also possesses outstanding hands, and therefore most lobs thrown his way will see his point guard credited with an easy assist. A decent amount of his offense comes with his back to the basket, where he does an excellent job using his combination of quickness, strength and smarts to spin off his man and either finish craftily or draw fouls. When teams throw a zone at Georgetown, as they often do, Green is the one that moves to the top of the key to force the zone to collapse around him, which gives him plenty of opportunities to show off his excellent decision making skills--either to find the open man or knock down a static mid-range jumper if the defense doesn't react quickly enough.
This area, his perimeter shooting, is precisely where Green has improved the most this season, knocking down 41.5% of his 3-point attempts compared with 31.5% last year. He's only attempting just over 2 and a half attempts per game on the year, though, which is not a high rate at all. For the most part he looks good knocking down shots from college range with his feet set, but his mechanics and accuracy take a hit when forced to shoot on the move or pull up off the dribble. As a ball-handler is where Green has the most work to do if he's to play the small forward position full time, though. He's clearly hesitant to use his dribble and the ball slows him down significantly, making his first step quite methodical, and he has a tendency to expose the ball to his defender, which leads to turnovers. When he does put the ball on the floor, it's usually after using a shot-fake to get his man in the air and then finding an angle to methodically make his way to the basket. Green is a throwback player with an old-man's game--which we mean in the best way possible-- and sometimes you'll see him swooping into the lane and throw up an incredibly old-school sky-hook.
As a rebounder and defender, Green is very solid. He has good physical tools, including strength and length, and is smart and fundamental enough to get the job done. There are some concerns about how he'll do defending athletic small forwards on the perimeter due to the way he's played in college at the power forward position, but he leaves the impression that he should be able to adapt fairly quickly. Generally speaking, Green doesn't wow you on first sight with phenomenal athleticism or upside, but the more you watch him play, the more he grows on you. He isn't the type of player that will fit in every, or even most, NBA systems, but if put in the right niche where he's able to play up to his strengths, he will find success as a versatile role player. Teams like the Utah Jazz or Los Angles Lakers with the offenses they run seem like the best fit. Persistent rumors from the DC area all season long indicate that he is strongly considering entering his name in this year's draft and leaving it in if he's considered a first round pick.
Standing 6-9 with a small forward's frame, he has good size for the 3-spot, but is certainly not a prototype as far as his hypothetical future NBA position goes. Cutting to the basket on back-door plays is another one of Georgetown's specialties, and Green finds a lot of success doing so thanks to his high basketball IQ. Green is very solid getting off his feet, and also possesses outstanding hands, and therefore most lobs thrown his way will see his point guard credited with an easy assist. A decent amount of his offense comes with his back to the basket, where he does an excellent job using his combination of quickness, strength and smarts to spin off his man and either finish craftily or draw fouls. When teams throw a zone at Georgetown, as they often do, Green is the one that moves to the top of the key to force the zone to collapse around him, which gives him plenty of opportunities to show off his excellent decision making skills--either to find the open man or knock down a static mid-range jumper if the defense doesn't react quickly enough.
This area, his perimeter shooting, is precisely where Green has improved the most this season, knocking down 41.5% of his 3-point attempts compared with 31.5% last year. He's only attempting just over 2 and a half attempts per game on the year, though, which is not a high rate at all. For the most part he looks good knocking down shots from college range with his feet set, but his mechanics and accuracy take a hit when forced to shoot on the move or pull up off the dribble. As a ball-handler is where Green has the most work to do if he's to play the small forward position full time, though. He's clearly hesitant to use his dribble and the ball slows him down significantly, making his first step quite methodical, and he has a tendency to expose the ball to his defender, which leads to turnovers. When he does put the ball on the floor, it's usually after using a shot-fake to get his man in the air and then finding an angle to methodically make his way to the basket. Green is a throwback player with an old-man's game--which we mean in the best way possible-- and sometimes you'll see him swooping into the lane and throw up an incredibly old-school sky-hook.
As a rebounder and defender, Green is very solid. He has good physical tools, including strength and length, and is smart and fundamental enough to get the job done. There are some concerns about how he'll do defending athletic small forwards on the perimeter due to the way he's played in college at the power forward position, but he leaves the impression that he should be able to adapt fairly quickly. Generally speaking, Green doesn't wow you on first sight with phenomenal athleticism or upside, but the more you watch him play, the more he grows on you. He isn't the type of player that will fit in every, or even most, NBA systems, but if put in the right niche where he's able to play up to his strengths, he will find success as a versatile role player. Teams like the Utah Jazz or Los Angles Lakers with the offenses they run seem like the best fit. Persistent rumors from the DC area all season long indicate that he is strongly considering entering his name in this year's draft and leaving it in if he's considered a first round pick.