Though the trade that moved Al Horford's massive contract off of Philadelphia's shoulders in return for Danny Green was made weeks ago, it became official on Tuesday.
Fresh off of a championship run in L.A., Green brings a wealth of experience with him, including a truly unforgettable run in the 2013 Finals against the Miami Heat.
His three-point shooting and perimeter defense will both be welcome additions to a new-look 76ers team, and the departure of Al Horford and his ridiculous salary is perhaps an even more important benefit. He'll provide spacing and open up the offense to levels that weren't reached often for the 2019-20 Sixers. But what should not be overlooked is how Green's expertise and leadership can affect other key players on the team, and this factor of his stay in Philly, if maximized to its full potential, could be the most significant one of all.
Green spoke on his new team and how other organizations around the league have scouted the Sixers in seasons prior to his arrival on his podcast, "Inside The Green Room."
"We have some more shooters — me, Seth [Curry], Matisse [Thybulle] is growing as a shooter, Furkan [Korkmaz], Mike Scott — we have some guys that can stretch the floor," Green said. "For the most part, [old scouting reports were] make them beat you over the top with Ben [Simmons] and Joel [Embiid], make them shoot jumpers, make them beat you from the three-point line or perimeter, and also don't let them in the paint.
"Now, it's a little tougher making this team beat you over the top when you have guys that can shoot it like Seth, Tobias [Harris], Matisse, Furkan, so I think the scouting report will be different."
At the same time as he's helping space the floor and add another shooting option, he'll look to
Furthermore, Green's hope is that he can help Embiid and Simmons develop, with an emphasis on the latter, so that teams have to respect their ability on the outside as well.
"I think that's another challenge for us, challenging not just Joel but Ben to not worry about percentages," Green said. "Especially early in the clock, early in the game, you can't be afraid to take those jumpers. Keep the defense honest. Mind you, you shoot it pretty well. We see in practice, we see you shooting online, we see you in highlights and clips. You're not a bad shooter, it's all confidence and mental.
"I'm going to try to take it upon myself to challenge him to put himself in some uncomfortable situations or positions, make himself more comfortable doing those things, and then maybe taking at least corner three a game... just to keep the defense honest."
We know how the Brett Brown-Ben Simmons "one three per game" strategy worked — it didn't — but perhaps with one of the most experienced and level-headed shooters in the league working as a pseudo-coach, a change could finally come.
Green also talked about how social media plays a part in affecting a player's psyche — even though the above post was a positive, the subsequent reaction as if the world had just ended probably weighed on Simmons in some way — and he wants to help younger guys with that aspect of NBA stardom as well.
"That's part of the world now, that's what social media is," Green said. "That's how the world we live in is, and it only helps motivate us to be better. And I'm challenging not just myself... but guys like Ben to ignore that. We don't care about none of that.
"...To push yourself or push the boundaries a little bit more, to shoot those threes a little bit more, it'll make us better as a group, as a team, if they're playing you out on that perimeter, on that line. Because he's a beast at getting to the rim, using his body, getting to the free throw line and making plays for us as a group. So I'm interested to see when he gets comfortable how far he can take his game to that next level."
And outside of social media, his status as a veteran that wasn't as applicable to his experience in Los Angeles, given the amount of older players on that roster, will serve much more of a purpose in the City of Brotherly Love.
"L.A., we had too many veterans. They didn't need my coaching, or my intellect, or my IQ with guys with IQs the same or higher than mine, and more experience than mine. I wasn't there to be a voice and teach them what it takes to win. They all been there and won," Green said. "This situation (in Philly) is very similar to Toronto, where I'm coming with a group of younger guys that is still learning how to win, and be more of a locker room voice. They didn't need that in L.A.
"They needed that in Toronto... and kind of similar here. They're a little older than what Toronto was when we got there, but I'm here to be that voice and try to teach them the small things, small details of what it takes to win."
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