'Ignitable' Gerald Green Finally Gets the Green Light with Miami Heat
MIAMI — The Miami Heat, like the seven other NBA teams that have employed Gerald Green, are focusing on Green's shot selection.
But the feedback on this frustratingly familiar topic is different than what he's heard in the past. There are no caution flags or stop signs; the concerns now are whether he's being aggressive enough.
"If I don't shoot the ball, they get on me," Green said after a 19-point performance in Miami's season opener.
When Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra speaks about the 29-year-old, the word "ignitable" usually works itself into the conversation. It's a testament to Green's quick-strike scoring ability, evidenced by the 92 points he piled up in 95 minutes over the Heat's final four preseason contests.
But it's also an admission that his shooting doesn't always catch fire. His career accuracy rates from the field (42.4) and long distance (36.8) are fairly forgettable. And when his shots haven't fallen in the past, he's struggled to make a positive impact elsewhere.
There's a give-and-take with Green, but there's plenty of production waiting to be had for those willing to live with—and, ideally, try to improve—his limitations. The Heat, light on both second-team scoring and three-point shooting, need all the positives he can bring.
So, even if there are a few negatives along the way, they just want Green to play his game.
"Everyone's giving him the confidence to be who he is," Dwyane Wade said. "He's a guy who ignites our team, and we allow him to do that. He's having fun, and he's putting the ball in the basket."
It's not the simple act of scoring alone that makes Green stand out. The Heat, fourth in the league in offensive efficiency through three games, have a starting five loaded with 20-point threats.
But their bench needs a fiery point-producer to lead the way. Miami had the league's third-worst scoring reserve unit last season, per HoopsStats.com. The 2015-16 iteration has several new pieces, most notably lottery pick Justise Winslow and a healthy Josh McRoberts, but perhaps none with the combination of skills and selfishness to carry an attack.
Green has the makeup and ability to play that exact role. He tossed in a career-best 15.8 points a night on .445/.400/.848 shooting just two seasons back with the Phoenix Suns, and he's once again operating under the same neon-green light. Green is seventh on the team in minutes (21.7 per game) but third in field-goal attempts (10.3).
"Coach is allowing Gerald to be who he is, which is Mr. Instant Offense," Chris Bosh said.
Green supplies copious amounts of energy and explosiveness. The Heat need both to get through the offensive lulls that come with starting a group that's still developing chemistry. But Green must also be malleable, since Miami won't deploy him solely in a relief role.
The Heat need his three-point touch. Badly. If there's a quantity-plus-quality sniper on this roster, he's the most likely candidate.
Miami needs enough shooting to keep defenses honest.
The former purveyors of the pace-and-space game are now playing a much more conventional style. So much of this new attack is centered inside the paint: the dribble penetrations of Wade and Goran Dragic; the post-up plays for Bosh and Hassan Whiteside; the off-ball cuts of Winslow and Luol Deng.
The Heat have the pieces to play inside-out, but that's only if their spacers can provide enough breathing room. That's why the worst shots in this offense for Green are the ones he doesn't take.
"We want him to play with the utmost confidence," Spoelstra said.
And that confidence must carry over to areas outside of shooting. Green's role will be too large for him to play like a specialist.
Most nights, he'll balance his duties between leading the second-team offense and unclogging the paint for the starters. But his minutes—and responsibilities—could surge if the injury bug makes its annual appearance. Wade hasn't cleared the 70-game mark since 2010-11. Deng has missed double-digit contests in three of the past four seasons. The Heat will need Green to help cover for any absences.
So they're demanding a more complete game than he's played in the past. And, for now at least, he's buying what they're selling.
When asked if anything has surprised him about Green, Spoelstra cited "his willingness and his openness and his commitment to our standards for defense."
That's a dramatically different soundbite than the one from the last head coach to speak about Green's defense. When explaining why Green had fallen out of his rotation last season, the Suns' Jeff Hornacek said bluntly, "If you're not scoring and if your defense isn't picking up, it's hard to stay in the game," per AZCentral.com's Paul Coro.
Given Green's physical gifts, he should be a more effective defender than he's been; last season, he ranked 82nd out of 87 shooting guards in defensive real plus-minus. But he's talking like he wants to improve on that side of the ball.
"I'm just trying to really take a step in my game defensively, focus on getting better," Green said. "I knew [coming in] that to wear that Miami Heat jersey, you've got to lock down."
Words, of course, are meaningless without actions to back them up, and Green's track record provides ample reason for skepticism.
But he's waited a long time for a chance like this. He's suited up in Russia, China and the NBA D-League while seeking substance to go with his on-court style.
Opportunity is knocking now.
"I decided to come here to be a part of something special," Green said. "I knew this team had a lot of championship aspirations, and I knew with the way I play and the personnel they got here, I felt like I could fit with these guys."
The feeling is mutual. That's why the Heat want Green to be himself: so they can figure out how to maximize his strengths and minimize his limitations.
Solving that puzzle could be a significant step toward both parties realizing their massive potential together.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand. Statistics used courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com.
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