Danny Ainge compares Jeff Green to Pierce, Garnett, and Allen before teaming up

Danny Ainge joined Mike Gorman and Chris Herren in the broadcast booth for the Boston Celtics-Atlanta Hawks game tonight, and answered some questions tweeted by fans. Among some of his interesting comments during the game were that Avery Bradley could become "unguardable," that "everything's open for debate and discussion" regarding the possibility of trading up for a star, and his insights on Jeff Green, whose inconsistencies he compared with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen when they were on non-playoff teams.

From CSNNE:

One of the players Ainge talked about is the much-talked-about Jeff Green, who Ainge said "can't be the No. 1 guy on a championship team, but he can be an important piece on a championship team.

"We've tried to expand Jeff's game, have him take shots with more efficiency. Shoot more 3s off the dribble, which aren't as high percentage as he's used to," Ainge said "So, his percentages have gone down a little bit, but we like that he's taking those shots.

"People forget that KG, Paul [Pierce] and [Ray] Allen all strugged when they were on non-playoff teams before they got to Boston," Ainge said in comparing them to Green. "Even though they had good numbers here and there, they didn't have consistently good numbers until they got back together. Jeff needs help."

Photo: NY Daily News

Green has demonstrated his scoring abilities many times this season, including two 39-point games, but consistency has always been the issue. However, when Jeff Green was playing alongside the likes of the Celtics' Big Three during his first few seasons in Boston, many claimed his inconsistencies were due to the fact that he was playing in their shadows. Now that Green has had the chance to step into the spotlight, Ainge is suggesting that if he was paired with All-Star caliber players, it would improve his consistency. These two lines of thought contradict each other.

Garnett was an MVP before he came to Boston, and Ray amassed most of his record-breaking career 3-point shots before joining the Celtics, so they were huge assets when placed alongside Pierce and Rondo, and they had the right balance of chemistry. Danny seems very committed to Jeff and sees him as a big part of the Celtics' future, so let's just hope that Ainge can find the right players to put alongside Green to help bring out the best in him.