2. Floor spacing
Green, in his career, has been a 3-point shooter, and he is coming off his best season from three last year with the Raptors.
He has shot 40.4% on 4.6 attempts in his career and last year he shot a career-high 45.5% on 5.4 attempts a game, which was good for second in the NBA.
The kind of transition defense that killed the Warriors in Game 1. Just cruising back, overloading one side of the floor, leaving Draymond in impossible 2-on-1, leads to crucial mid-4th wiiiiide open Danny Green 3. pic.twitter.com/ossVLCXPjK
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 31, 2019
Better yet, across the board, Green was highly effective in Toronto and that will get Lakers fans very excited for what he can provide to the team.
He shot 46.5% from the field overall to go along with his 45.5% from three, but what sticks out is his 62.2% eFG and 63.2 TS%. Those are elite numbers and although he is not someone who shoots a high number of shots each night, those are stats that are eye-popping, and then you tack on his 84.1% at the free-throw line.
The Raptors had a very good team last year, as witnessed by their championship and Green was a big part of that, but he will see even more space in Los Angeles playing with James and Davis. So, those numbers across the board could look similar to that this season. That would be a huge boost to this Lakers team as they have championship aspirations.
Losing Cousins was a blow for the Lakers but they will also need guys on the roster now to step up. Green is one of the better candidates to do that along with Avery Bradley and KCP.
Subtracting Green’s rookie year in Cleveland where he played sporadically, he hasn’t finished a season with less than a 104.4 offensive rating. Last season Green had an offensive rating of 117.7, which was higher than a lot of superstars. His presence on the floor was a big boost for the Raptors.
He will have nights where he doesn’t score, but Green knows how to effectively help his team. If his shot is off, he still attracts defenses because all he needs to do is see one go in and he can catch fire. That alone will space out the floor for this Lakers team and create mismatches on a nightly basis for their superstars.