Celtics 101 - First Quarter Grade: Jeff Green

In the midst of the Celts preseason I submitted a post speculating as to how Jeff Green would respond to the absence of Paul Pierce and KG as well as whether he could become a true superstar and number one option in this league.

Thus far, Green has been somewhat inconsistent but has also shown flashes of brilliance.

On the inconsistent side, there is still Jeff's lack of rebounding and assist production.

As someone who has immense athletic and physical gifts Green should be averaging much more than four and a half rebounds a game. He also stated earlier in the season that he's more concerned with wins than his rebounding. That really makes no sense because the two are obviously highly interrelated so he still needs to do some work there.

For a player who's able to break down defenders and get to the rim off the dribble as well as Green his assist totals should be MUCH higher also. He is only averaging 1.7 assists per game and a lot of that has to do with his lack of aggressiveness. Getting to the rim more will allow for more rotations on the defensive side and more open looks for his teammates.

Finally, there was the two game debacle in the middle of November with the Celtics playing at Minnesota and at Houston. During this two game stretch, Green garnered a grand total of 6 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists.

To say this is just not getting it done would be the understatement of the century.

These two games came only two weeks after "The Disappearance in Detroit" when Brad Stevens benched him the entire fourth quarter after Green had produced seven points and two assists and rebounds apiece as well as numerous defensive breakdowns through three quarters.

On the brilliant side, there of course was his hitting the game winning shot in the Celtics signature win of the season over Miami. A game in which he also shot 5-8 for three point land.



There has also been his recent play. In the past four games Jeff is averaging just over 23 points, five rebounds and three assists including a season high six assist night in a loss at Milwaukee.

This increased production is largely due to his finally becoming more aggressive offensively. He's averaged 15 and a half shots per game during this stretch whereas he's only averaged just under 12 shots a game the rest of the season.

These past four games indicate why I still think Green can become a big time number one option for The Celts for the foreseeable future. Especially considering when Rajon Rondo comes back these numbers will only improve.

For example, during Ray Allen's last two seasons in Boston he had the two best three point shooting percentage seasons of his career largely due to Rondo knowing when and where to get him the ball both in the half-court and on the break.

Green will benefit even more from Rondo's return because he is obviously much more versatile at this point in his career than Allen was during his final two seasons in Boston.

Although, it's been a mixed big I still like what I see overall in Jeff Green's future within the Boston Cetlics' organization.

First Quarter Grade: B

Follow Clint on Twitter @coolhandc