What will Gerald Green's role be on the Celtics?
With the recents signing of old friend Gerald Green, many Celtics fans are wondering what his role will be this coming season. With Jae Crowder and Jaylen Brown as the number one and two Small Forwards on the depth chart, and with Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley and Terry Rozier taking up time at shooting guard, there isn't a lot of room for Green to play in.
The 30-year-old wingman averaged 8.9 PPG in 22 minutes of play last season in Miami. Previously, he had two good seasons for the Suns and before that the Pacers and Nets when he re-entered the league after playing overseas.
Looking at Green's skill set, he's a high flier who's learned to shoot the three ball late in his career. He made over 200 three pointers two seasons ago in Phoenix. He has some defensive potential as well with his length and size for a wing. He can play either the two or three and his versatility is a nice tool for Brad Stevens should he use him. However, with a pretty deep roster, there will be some competition for minutes coming off the bench.
Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Kelly Olynyk, Jonas Jerebko, Jaylen Brown are all set to play big roles off the bench and now that you add Gerald Green to that cast, there will be battles for playing time. Personally, with Crowder starting, I'd like to see the rookie Jaylen Brown get as much time as he possibly can off the bench. If that means sacrificing minutes for Gerald Green, then so be it.
I also don't see Terry Rozier or Marcus Smart getting their minutes decreased in favor of Gerald Green. While he is a nice role player off the bench, the young talent on the Celtics shouldn't have their growth stunted in favor of a 30 year old journeyman. Should there be an injury, Green can definitely come off the bench and score some points if need be, but I can't see Brad Stevens favoring him over the young guys in the rotation.
As a guy that signed for the veterans minimum, in my mind I think that Green is going to be used as an emergency fill-in role and the 11th or 12th man that can come off the bench for minutes if necessary. It's a good depth add but I would be shocked if Green got big minutes ahead of the young guys on the roster.
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