Philadelphia 76ers: It’s (almost) Danny Green time
Hey Philadelphia 76ers fans, Danny Green is back… well, almost.
That’s right, after sliding on and off of the team’s injury report with a lingering hip injury, it looks like Green’s latest string of absences will end at seven, as he’s officially been upgraded to questionable for the Sixers’ Thursday night bout against his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Could that change? Could Green’s hip flair up, or could he slip on some ice outside of the Wells Fargo Center and find himself back on the mend indefinitely? Sure, as someone who slips on ice fairly routinely, that is totally within the realm of possibility, but fingers crossed it doesn’t.
Why? Because the Philadelphia 76ers really need Danny Green back on the court.
Danny Green is a key piece for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Statistically speaking, Danny Green is one of the Philadelphia 76ers’ best players. No, you didn’t misread that statement; I mean that in earnest.
Green is a part of the Sixers’ best high-usage two-man lineup alongside Matisse Thybulle, the team’s best defensive two-man lineup, again, with Matisse Thybulle, and is featured in three of the team’s 18 five-man lineups with positive net ratings. While Green’s 3 point shooting is down ever so slightly from his career highest both in percentage (38.1) and volume (4.8), he’s still the team’s best pure 3-and-D wing and a player Doc Rivers has counted on in a more expansive role sans Ben Simmons.
If Green can get healthy and return to his vintage form – or even just his 2020-21 form – the Sixers will have a really good complimentary player who should spend the vast majority of his time on the court with Joel Embiid, as his floor spacing could be far more valuable at the small forward spot than the occasional layup opportunities Charlie Brown Jr. and Thybulle provide to the playmaking center under the basket.
With Green back in the fray, a whole new subset of lineups open up for the Sixers. They can play big with Green in the backcourt, they can play small with Green at the three; they can put three plus wing defenders on the court at a time in Green, Thybulle, and CBJ for situations where the team needs to clamp down, stagger the trio’s minutes to ensure at least one plus defender is on the court at all times, or even situationally deploy the three depending on how an opponent staggers their rotation.
Heck, have you been clamoring to see an Embiid-plus-shooters lineup? Well, having Green available to go, even for just half of the game, makes things a whole lot easier to make that happen, as he can play small in a backcourt alongside Seth Curry or at the small forward spot with a shooter like Isaiah Joe at the two.
For a team that’s largely had to fly by the seat of their pants in terms of roster continuity, Green’s return might somewhat steady the choppy waters of the 2021-22 NBA season, right before the trade deadline, where everything could be mixed up once more.
Next. If James Harden is the goal, trade with Sacramento. dark
Are Danny Green’s best days behind him? Yes, I think even he would concede that point. Could DG be traded for the first time in his NBA career next month or be released from the second year of his contract this summer? Yes, both of those things very well could happen. But in the here and now, the Philadelphia 76ers will surely welcome “The Green Ranger” back onto the court with open arms, as they are statistically better with him on the court than on the bench in street clothes.