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During the Wizards’ recent 4-2 stretch, newcomer Jeff Green has been a spark off the bench. The DMV native closed out wins in Miami and against Orlando with the starters, and he’s been seemingly making every shot he takes. Green had a double-double against the Heat with 19 points and 10 rebounds and scored 18 against the Magic on Monday.
In his last six games, Green is scoring 13.5 points per game and is shooting 29-of-46 (63.0%) from the field, including 10-of-18 (55.6%) from beyond the arc. On the season, despite a slow start, is making more than half of his field goal attempts, hitting 54-of-107 (50.5%) of his shots. Green has missed one free throw all season, converting on 32-of-33 (97.0%) attempts.
“Shots have just been going in, nothing has changed,” Green said on Wednesday about his recent hot shooting. “[I’m] taking the same shots if you look back at the film. I haven’t changed my approach. I haven’t changed the way I’ve shot. I haven’t changed my shot selection.”
The Wizards’ 113.8 points per 100 possessions when Green is on the floor is the team’s second best offensive rating in the past six games. Only Austin Rivers has better rating.
“That’s just basketball, whether the hot hand is me, K.O. (Kelly Oubre Jr.), Austin (Rivers) – like it was in Miami. We roll with it. We’re going to do whatever it takes to win.”
Not only has Green’s shooting made a big impact during November, but the 6’9” forward has been playing solid defense for the Wizards. In the team’s last six games, the Wizards are only allowing 102.6 points per 100 possessions with Green on the floor, the third best defensive rating on the team. His length and ability to guard multiple positions gives Scott Brooks a plethora of lineup combinations and versatility.
Green has also been working the pick-and-roll successfully with John Wall. Though they’ve only played together a few months, Green and Wall seem to have already found great offensive chemistry. Green had four screen assists in Monday’s game, and has ran a few alley-oop plays to perfection in recent games.
At 32 years old, Green can still jump out of the gym. He insists that he’s planning to continue jumping like this for a long time. It’s not like he’s just going to suddenly not be able to dunk anymore overnight.
“I haven’t seen a lot of guys that decline that fast in terms of jumping,” Green said. “Whenever father time tells me to stop jumping, I’ll stop jumping I guess. I don’t think it’s something to be surprised at. I’ve been doing it pretty much my whole career, so I don’t think it’s that surprising.”
“That’s the plan,” he said about dunking until he’s 50. “Dr. J [Julius Erving] is.”
“I have a son, and I’ll be dunking on him.”