– Make an All-Defensive team
One of the reasons the Lakers prioritized Green after they missed on Leonard was because of his ability to shoot the ball. However, Green is a strong two-way player. As a two-time championship, Green has the reputation of being one of the best defenders in the league.
As a shooting guard, Green can be frequently seen guarding opposing guards and even small forwards at time. The ability to guard multiple positions and multiple positions well is something that has given Green that strong reputation.
During the 2016-17 season, Green was named All-Defensive second team. This is certainly a great honor, and one that does not come easy. Even though Green does not average a large amount of steals or blocks per game, he has had strong defensive win share numbers.
Under Luke Walton, the Lakers definitely took some steps forward on the defensive side of the ball. However, with injuries and in meaningless games, their numbers dropped a lot in the second half of the season.
This season, the Lakers will certainly be a strong defensive team with Frank Vogel on the bench. Vogel is one of the best defensive coaches in the league and he will like having Green at his disposal on the defensive end.