San Antonio Spurs Need Danny Green to Continue Breakout Season

The San Antonio Spurs' 2014-15 campaign hasn't consistently shown the beautiful displays of basketball the NBA has come to expect from Gregg Popovich's teams.

A 24-16 record practically halfway through the season has brought questions about the panic button to the forefront, though the need to ring that proverbial alarm hasn't arrived quite yet.

Were it not for Danny Green's outstanding performance to this point, the Spurs would almost certainly find themselves in a deeper hole.

However, the shooting guard has assembled a breakout season, one of which ESPN's 48 Minutes of Hell lauded in December:

San Antonio needs Green to maintain his current production level for the remainder of the year. He's averaging a career-best 31.6 minutes, 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks, increasing his contributions on both ends compared to recent campaigns.

The sixth-year pro established himself in the league as an above-average three-point shooter and transition defender, both of which have continued in his contract season.

Green has knocked down 39.9 percent of his attempts from outside and allowed opponents a 41.4 percent mark from the field, which is 2.7 percent worse than what is "normal" for his assignment, per NBA.com.

But the three-and-D asset has made a few improvements to his game, most notably as a dribbler. This season, Green isn't entirely inept when putting the ball on the floor. He's obviously not Tony Parker—or even Cory Joseph for that matter—but Green is no longer a complete liability.

The 6'6" shooter is admittedly still affected by a streaky nature, producing sample stat lines like 5-of-7, 6-of-9, 2-for-10 and 0-of-8 from long distance. Nevertheless, he's a critical scorer and has helped carry San Antonio in the respective absences of Parker and Kawhi Leonard.

Last year, Green managed at least 10 points in just 26 of his 68 appearances. Through just 39 outings in 2014-15, however, he's already netted 10 or more during 27 showings.

Plus, the North Carolina product isn't merely scoring early and disappearing in late-game situations. In fact, he's emerged as one of the league's best in clutch moments.

Green has tallied the fourth-most points during the final two minutes of five-point games, per NBA.com. The sharpshooter has knocked down eight of his 13 triples during the final 120 seconds, netting his 42 total points from a combined 17 field-goal and 17 free-throw attempts.

What's more, 17 players have managed at least 30 points in the final two minutes this year, yet only Kyle Korver (1.58) and Markieff Morris (1.29) hold a higher points-per-shot average than Green's 1.24.

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Of course, Green has absorbed many of Leonard's responsibilities—particularly playing time down the stretch—which has contributed to those numbers. After tallying just 361 total fourth-quarter minutes last season, Green has logged 293 this year by mid-January, per NBA.com.

When Leonard is again available, the shooting guard's role will absolutely see a change. Yet Green has consistently stepped up in a situation where he was rarely utilized before, and it hasn't gone unnoticed.

And considering the way San Antonio has struggled to close a handful of games this season—eight of 16 losses by five points or fewer—Popovich should explore employing a clutch-time backcourt unit of Parker, Green and Leonard.

According to 82games, Parker-Green-Leonard backcourts ceded 0.96 points per possession or fewer in 2013-14. Conversely, any Parker-Manu Ginobili-Leonard lineup surrendered 1.06 or higher. The stats remain similar this year, but the total on-court minutes spent together are low due to various injuries.

Regardless, Green showed his late-game defensive value on Dec. 31, swatting Tyreke Evans' potential go-ahead layup during a 95-93 overtime victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. This was a matchup Leonard would have taken, but Green handled Evans admirably.

Ultimately, Green's terrific defense and newfound fourth-quarter contributions perfectly complement Parker's playmaking, Leonard's rounded skill set and Duncan's interior abilities.

Even if the sharpshooter-turned-versatile weapon's raw statistics drop when Leonard is healthy, Green must continue his breakout year. The Spurs have leaned on him for one-half of the 2014-15 campaign, but they'll need a similarly productive Green to overcome tremendous Western Conference opponents through the postseason.

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference and are accurate as of Jan. 14. Contract information via HoopsHype.

Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR