GRIZ GROOVE:
Griz forward attacking basket
Forward Jeff Green has elevated his scoring output in a big way over the past three weeks.
901-529-2353 Jeff Green has a secret. He likes — no he loves — to dunk on people.
“I’m quiet about it,” the Grizzlies forward said. “You don’t see it coming.”
San Antonio Spurs reserve big man Aron Baynes is a witness for sure.
Early in the second quarter on Sunday, Green raced down court in transition and attacked the paint from the right wing. Green elevated before he reached the protected circle in the paint, extended the ball Statue-of-Liberty style and threw down an emphatic dunk over the 6-10 Baynes.
“I just wanted to score,” Green said, “because I had missed two layups before that.”
The moment actually seems symbolic of Green’s play these days. He’s anything but hit or miss. Grizzlies forward Jeff Green is averaging 15.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 49-percent shooting over the last 10 games.
Green has given the Grizzlies slam-dunk reliability with his scoring over the past three weeks.
In what promises to be another playoff tune-up, the Grizzlies’ game tonight against Oklahoma City will feature a player in Green who has finally found his groove in Memphis. He’s averaging 15.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 49-percent shooting overall over the last 10 games.
The offensive outburst includes at least two made 3-pointers per game. And Green’s emergence can’t solely be credited to his request to go to the bench given he’s equally played as a starter and reserve since the March 20 appeal.
“I can’t point to one reason why individually things have been working for me. My thing is to go out there and be aggressive,” Green said. “That takes a lot of pressure off Z-Bo (Zach Randolph) and Marc (Gasol). Now teams have to play them one-onone. They can’t double team. I’m just going to be aggressive and take what the defense gives me.
“When the playoffs are around the corner you want to become the player you want to be and peak at the right time. I’ve been peaking at the right time. The shots are starting to fall and I just have to keep it up.”
Griz coach Dave Joerger had to be convinced that Green’s shift in the lineup rotation was the right thing to do.
Joerger even went against advanced statistics in utilizing Green. When Green replaced Tony Allen in the starting lineup on Jan. 21 the starting lineup had a net rating of 11.7 with Allen as of March 12. They had minus-1.2 with Green.
Ultimately, Joerger saw the benefit in relieving Green’s mental stress.
Green, a system player intent on making the right play at all times, needed to think less about when and where to get Gasol and Randolph the basketball. He needed to be set free, meaning Joerger had to allow Green to play extended minutes in a transition offense.
That could mostly be achieved with the second unit.
“He’s finding spots, and guys are opening up spots for him. What we try to do is keep him above the foul line and then to be able to drive north and south,” Joerger said. “With his athleticism he’s getting out and running. He’s attacking the basket and the number of times he’s driving into the paint has gone up and up and up since he’s been here. Obviously, he’s been able to finish at a high rate around the basket, especially when he dunks it.”
Griz point guard Mike Conley, a case study in trying to break out offensively with Gasol and Randolph on the floor, explained to Green the necessary mindset. When perimeter players on the Grizzlies see driving lanes there’s no time to hesitate. They must shoot the gap in an instant without thinking.
“He’s figured it out,” Conley said. “He understands that on this team we need everybody to play at their best. He was deferring too much. But he’s so versatile and can help us in so many different ways.”
Green, much like Joerger, never saw himself as the problem to what ailed the Griz recently.
It’s been a feeling-out process that appears to have reached the completion of an acrobatic dunk.
“I know where Z-Bo and Marc are going to be on the floor. It takes time for that stuff to really come to form,” Green said. “We’ve gotten used to what each other like. Now I know that once we force a miss and they outlet to me, that’s my chance to be aggressive.”