Do you see Danny Green improving any further?

[SpursFan86]

I think most people would agree last season was definitely Green's best season as a pro. He posted career highs in practically every stat (including advanced metrics like PER/WS/BPM/VORP), and it was clearly his best season defensively IMO. Maybe my memory is just off, but it seemed like they ran more plays for him off screens and whatnot and he made slight improvements in terms of taking one or two dribbles and pulling up.

Obviously he won't get THAT much better, but is it unrealistic to think we haven't seen the best of him yet? I feel like defense in particular is something he could realistically continue to improve on. If you look at Bowen, he didn't peak defensively until his early to mid-30s.

[apalisoc_9]

Oh absolutely.

defensively, he's one of the best in the league but he does have discipline issues with fakes.

offensively..fake, one dribble and shot..So many instances last year, he'd fake and just lean his body awkwardly to the right and then shoot..

[steeledl]

No. His offensive game is very limited becAuse he doesn't know how to dribble and has no touch. Defensively he is good and he should remain good.

[keeferob25]

To me I believe he'll improve in terms of consistency almost surely. Last year he was tasked to carry an increased burden because our mass of injuries...same with Manu and Duncan. It's no surprise that they were seemingly exhausted by the time the playoffs happened. This year (barring injuries again) his load will be lightened and he will be able to focus on his role. I think him having financial security and at a price he's repeatedly said is what he's worth has made him understand his importance to Pop and the Spurs and that he is the type of person to now want to make sure he lives up to it. Also, what helped Bruce will help Danny going forward (and Kawhi) defensively and that's familiarity with all of the players he will be guarding going forward. Facing these players continuously over time will allow them to understand tendencies, weaknesses/strengths etc and that is INVALUABLE. Bowen knew what his opponents wanted to do which is why he was expert at anticipation. Danny has been guarding the same players for 3-4 years now so there will be a confidence and comfort in effectively defending them going forward.

Now I don't think he'll be reliable this year putting the ball on the floor because traditionally, great shooters aren't great ball handlers...just something about the two that makes it so. And I don't think he will ever be a "great" finisher at the rim. But his improvement, again, will be in consistency from game-to-game defensively and offensively with a more appropriate role and burden given our upgrades. He'll be worth the 10 million no doubt!

[Mikeanaro]

He should work on his icy hot phases and learn a couple new offensive moves.

[jeebus]

He's peaked on offensive moves, and he can still learn not to bite on every half assed fake on defense. If he can learn that, then that's all his hamster brain will be able to hold.

[boutons_deux]

He's certainly improved his finishing, as Hedo never did as a Spur.

[beirmeistr]

if he hires steve nash for 2 weeks, he can improve his dribling.

[cjw]

With Splitter and Baynes' minutes being given to people with range, maybe Danny won't be so paranoid of shot blockers and miss so many layups.

If he could finish at all around the rim or not be in the bottom 10% of dribbling guards, he'd be a max contract no questions asked. But he's not, and that's why the Spurs were able to afford him. A lot of teams would misuse him and he'd lose his efficiency. Spurs know how to best use him and let him flourish.

[ceperez]

No. His offensive game is very limited becAuse he doesn't know how to dribble and has no touch. Defensively he is good and he should remain good.

Agree. I have no expectation that he'll improve. Maybe less errors but he'll never learn how to score on the dribble. Kind of like Bruce Bowen, you can't expect much on the offensive end.

[benefactor]

He doesn't need to. Danny is fine.

[ceperez]

Well the real question is, if he stays as he is, will his jersey be retired?

If the Spurs win 2 more titles with him in the team, then absolutely. Green's #14 gets retired even if he can't score on the dribble.

[Mugen]

I'll take the best 3&D guy in the league tbh.

[ducks]

Oh absolutely.

defensively, he's one of the best in the league but he does have discipline issues with fakes.

offensively..fake, one dribble and shot..So many instances last year, he'd fake and just lean his body awkwardly to the right and then shoot..he can improve yes but the question was will he

[tholdren]

He can - probably easier for him to improve than almost anyone in the league. He needs a dribble game.

[SpursFan86]

I'll take the best 3&D guy in the league tbh.


He doesn't need to. Danny is fine.

I don't get comments like this. He can improve and still be a 3&D player you know :lol

The point of this topic is asking whether you think it's realistic that he improves any. Do you see him becoming an even better defender that is perhaps more disciplined and less likely to lose his guy for brief moments? Do you think he can (or will) develop a reliable pump fake and 1-2 dribble pull-up shot? Do you think he'll improve at shooting while coming off screens like Korver/Redick are known for? What other parts of his game could he realistically improve?

Yes, he's already a great player. But do you see him improving any, or do you think he's already reached his peak? That's what I'm asking.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

He needs to. We can't have both of our wing players being offensive liabilities.

[jeebus]

:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao https://instagram.com/p/5nSV-Jy67j/ :lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao


Shortest camp ever?

[Raven]

As long as he'll work hard and wont injure himself, he'll always get better

[BackHome]

There is not one good reason for him not to learn how to dribble the ball and finish at the rim. Come on that is like JV High School 101 coaching it's not to hard to learn it's not like we are asking him to be Steve Nash but be better then Shaq for Christ sake.....YOUR IN THE NBA..........Handle the damn rock..
s

[Mr Bones]

He does bite on fakes sometimes, but on the other hand he was also the 2nd leading shot blocker among SGs in the league last year: http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/player/_/stat/blocks/sort/avgBlocks/position/shooting-guards
I imagine Pop would prefer fewer blocks if it meant more fundamental D and fewer fouls, but it's probably a relatively minor issue considering what a good defender he is overall. The one area where I think he can improve is ball handling. That's what I'd have him spend hours & hours of work.

[Joseph Kony]

He's as good as he's going to get imo. But I think by virtue of having an elite offensive player like Aldridge playing with him his scoring average and 3PT% will go up a little bit next season. He is what he is, an elite defensive swingman with an elite three point shot. If he can perfect that two dribble pull up that's all you can really ask for tbh. He is the perfect option for us as a starting two-guard as is

[-21-]

I don't get comments like this. He can improve and still be a 3&D player you know :lol

The point of this topic is asking whether you think it's realistic that he improves any. Do you see him becoming an even better defender that is perhaps more disciplined and less likely to lose his guy for brief moments? Do you think he can (or will) develop a reliable pump fake and 1-2 dribble pull-up shot? Do you think he'll improve at shooting while coming off screens like Korver/Redick are known for? What other parts of his game could he realistically improve?

Yes, he's already a great player. But do you see him improving any, or do you think he's already reached his peak? That's what I'm asking.

I think he will be a more disciplined defender as he turns into a veteran. Stop biting on fakes, be a better off-ball defender, maneuvering around screens, etc.

On the offensive end, whenever he tried that pump fake and 1-2 dribble pull up the ball usually did not go in the basket IIRC but I think he can improve on that. Not sure about him being as good a shooter as Korver/Reddick are coming off screens because his shot seems to rely heavily on balance. I haven't seen him take/make a lot of leaning/drifting/off-balance jumpers which are common when coming off screens. Also, although he's gotten slightly better at it over the years, his ability to finish around the basket is still pretty bad so I think it would be unrealistic to expect anymore improvement on that.

Anyway, Danny is already a great player. Any improvement would just be gravy imo.

[benefactor]

But do you see him improving any, or do you think he's already reached his peak?
Sure.

[kobyz]

He will not improve as a player as long as he's not getting rid of that soft, nice going guy attitude...

[Jdspur20]

He just needs to be more consistent in the playoffs(at least more consistent than last April)

[pgardn]

This is a great question. Inconsistent means he's got the skill, just needs more concentration.

Staying with the Spurs gives him the best chance to improve, I just don't know if he can. It all revolves around his lack of "with the ball skills"

[100%duncan]

Yes

[AFBlue]

I think he could improve his consistency, and that would make him a better player. I don't see him developing anymore skills or improving his ability to finish through contact though.

[kobyz]

He will not improve his consistency without changing his nice guy mentality...

[pgardn]

He will not improve his consistency without changing his nice guy mentality...

Read:

being an asshole like kibble makes one a better player.
So old and tired...

[still.focused]

Wed all love for hi to drive hard on these full speed closeouts he sees but I doubt thats gonna happen
Id atleast appreciate if this MF developed an escape dribble a la Ray Allen

[mookie2001]

Learn to dribble and sacrifice that body. With his size and skill he should be working the refs

[devindixen]

I'd question how much he needs to improve his dribble to actually make a difference in his offensive game. I mean, he's just incredibly awful at it, and even if you give it two years of non-stop ballhandling skills, it'll probably make him decent at it. Even then, he'll have to work on finishing at the rim. By the time he becomes even decent at both, he'd be 80 years old.

Realistically, I'd ask him to work on his midrange/jumpshots coming of a screen. Kinda like Kevin Martin/JJ Redick.. An example on our system is like how we used Michael Finley. Green is a fine 3 point shooter.. I'd expand that part of his game. He worked on his one-two dribble pull up but it wasn't good yet. Work on that too. He could always be a more versatile shooter and it doesn't mean it always have to be threes.

[kobyz]

Read:

being an asshole like kibble makes one a better player.
So old and tired...

Danny is too nice and clean instead of being more within himself and hard nosed, it's a reason why he tend to get into very long phases of totally bad play, especially as a role player he should be more rough, that will give him more mental toughness to find ways not to get into too long phases of totally bad play and also maybe to get into opponents heads...

[wildbill2u]

You have to wonder about his attitude toward hard work to improve himself. Supposedly he begged Pop for another chance when the Spurs brought him back, promising to focus and change his attitude.

I'm assuming he worked hard to improve his 3 pt shot--but that being said--is he content to be a 3&D guy. There is certainly a prominent place for him on the Spurs at that state of skill level as has been shown the past few years.

I think most NBA players would have a hard time acknowledging that they are unable to dribble and finish with any skill or consistency. It might be very hard to go to coaches, and especially teammates, and ask for help in working on such basic skills that most players begin to learn from the first time they step on a court.

[Yuixafun]

Certainly Green proven in the past the will and determination to grow and develop his game.

There are certain things he will never be, just because it's not in his make-up or they are simply not acquirable.

But anything that can be improved and shored up, depending if he still has the fire to do so, he will get better at.

I think though, he is nearing the point where his physical skill capacity is at their max peaks. So the most fertile areas of improvement will be in his mental approach and clarity, and also what he does in his life to maintain his well being.

The fact that he goes through stretches of drought, indicates something... he can strengthen his in the present moment focus and maybe diet plays a role in him sustaining his energy levels, so there are two places he could improve.

I think if he could relax more, if that makes sense, it would benefit him immensely too.

Seems really wound up with, wanting to win for the Big 3, and please Pop etc.

[rmt]

Yes, I think he'll keep improving. Look at Parker - he slowly improved every year until he got fat/injured. Hopefully he'll learn to step in and shoot a jump shot when players run him off the 3 point line. Bruce tried to do that, but at an older age. Danny's still young.

[maverick1948]

Danny will not improve on the offensive end of the court. With LMA here, his shooting will be the spot 3 pt. I think he will defer to KL, LMA and Timmy for scoring. He will be there to open the inside up for them. If he does this, look for his defense to improve even more. He will become a true lockdown SG. That will let Kawhi have a little more freedom on both ends of the court. He will become the second coming of Bruce Bowen. He knows where his main body of work should be concentrated.

[Yuixafun]

I remember watching Manu in his prime on the defensive end, and it felt like he was 2 seconds ahead of everybody. Far away he would see something developing and already be darting in for a steal, just as the pass was being made or... jumping to block a shot even as the opponent had just begun to gather his legs.

Also I remember reading about Shane Battier's tremendous preparation and logs he kept on players.

If DG buckles down and studies, his anticipation and awareness could reach the next level on defense.

[ElNono]

I do. I think he has room to grow in the craftiness department, and experience gives you that.

[Chinook]

I do. I think he has room to grow in the craftiness department, and experience gives you that.

Every year he flashes potential of showing something inside the arch. He can definitely get better at things like curls and cuts, as they're great to counter guys overplaying the three. My only question is how many opportunities will Danny get to expand his game now that he's the clear fifth option of the starting lineup.

[elemento]

I think Danny could be an all-star if he could drive to the rim effectively. It would help his game so much.

[Gladney to see you]

I think he could be more consistent on offense if not much higher in scoring. He does a lot of things well, just not great and I think that is fine for this team.

[z0sa]

He could certainly get better. He's really only elite in 3 point shooting at the moment. His defense, while great, still needs to take another leap or two forward before he's on Kawhi's level.

[ElNono]

Every year he flashes potential of showing something inside the arch. He can definitely get better at things like curls and cuts, as they're great to counter guys overplaying the three. My only question is how many opportunities will Danny get to expand his game now that he's the clear fifth option of the starting lineup.

He'll get his opportunities if he's effective whenever he puts the ball on the floor. Hopefully he worked on his handles over the summer, that's been the biggest knock on him...

[Strategic]

The only way I see offensive improvement is him learning to let the game come to him more, especially with the added offensive talent. LMA and West will both demand better perimeter defense than Spurs recent 4's. Teams are gonna have trouble covering the Spurs.

[SAGirl]

He could possibly be as good as it gets, which is pretty good. He could really improve his attention span. He is great when he is engaged, but will wander off defensively at times. He's been getting more consistent on his effort though, so I'd say he's fine as long as he stays as he's been and doesn't regress with bad shooting years.

[pgardn]

He'll get his opportunities if he's effective whenever he puts the ball on the floor. Hopefully he worked on his handles over the summer, that's been the biggest knock on him...

A guard that can't dribble or finish is a problem.
But it's also one of the reasons he can stay with SA in relative comfort.

[SnakeBoy]

DG has improved every year. No reason to think he won't continue to do so.

[Shabazz]

DG has improved every year. No reason to think he won't continue to do so.

Yup. And he has a long history of proving haters/doubters wrong.


Do work Danny!

[ElNono]

A guard that can't dribble or finish is a problem.
But it's also one of the reasons he can stay with SA in relative comfort.

That's one of those things that can be fixed with reps... gotta put in the work.

[tesseractive]

That's one of those things that can be fixed with reps... gotta put in the work.
Not that I'm necessarily disagreeing with you, but offhand, it's hard to think of guys who developed a dribble game midcareer. Are there some examples you can think of?

[Lerojo]

He should work on nothing but on his handles and get advice from Manu and TP on how to finish drives more

[Spurtacular]

DG can't play worse than he did the last four games of the Clippers series. And we'll have guys like Simmons and Jimmer to plug in there if he gets ice cold again.

[SupremeGuy]

I don't really know if I want Verde to change his game. TP, Kawhi, Timmy, and now LMA are the ones that will have plays designed for them. Just let him stay at the 3 to stretch the defense...

Timmy and LMA should leave plenty of room for TP this year, tbh. As much as we shit on him, he should have a little renaissance. I hope Kawhi finally learned not to square his shoulders before he drives, cause damn, he should have a great year too.

[SupremeGuy]

DG can't play worse than he did the last four games of the Clippers series. And we'll have guys like Simmons and Jimmer to plug in there if he gets ice cold again.I can't tell if you're being serious of not, but holy fuck. Dude, our offense wasn't going to do shit as long as TP was playing(hurt or fat or french). I don't care what Pop sells/says but if we had just started CoJo, we fucking win that series. Ugh I don't even want to fucking talk about it anymore. Fuck

[Spurtacular]

I can't tell if you're being serious of not, but holy fuck. Dude, our offense wasn't going to do shit as long as TP was playing(hurt or fat or french). I don't care what Pop sells/says but if we had just started CoJo, we fucking win that series. Ugh I don't even want to fucking talk about it anymore. Fuck

I don't know about starting CoJo. But he needed to be inserted some when TP was lagging, which was most of the series (not Game 7).

And DG was way cold for a few games there (I erred on Game 7 though. He regained his form that game).

[SupremeGuy]

I don't know about starting CoJo. But he needed to be inserted some when TP was lagging, which was most of the series (not Game 7).

And DG was way cold for a few games there (I erred on Game 7 though. He regained his form that game).Cold because he wasn't getting good looks... because TP was playing like shit...

Pop was determined to sink or swim with TP last year... I mean, it's pretty epic loyalty but it also made me cuss them both out for the last year. lol

[Spurtacular]

Okay...just finished watching Game 7 (abridged version) of Clips for the first time. That foul call against Duncan at the end of the game was definitely BS.

[Spurtacular]

Cold because he wasn't getting good looks... because TP was playing like shit...

Pop was determined to sink or swim with TP last year... I mean, it's pretty epic loyalty but it also made me cuss them both out for the last year. lol

I agree with you that Pop was loyal to TP to a fault. But I just got done watching Games 4-7; and Green was missing a lot of good looks. He was not shooting with confidence in that series. It was a bad time for him to lose his confidence. But he played a monster Game 7 (except for allowing CP to go right on that final play).

[SupremeGuy]

so this new season is pop going to put up loyalty with parker? even if his sucking like shit out there....

good way to show to lma and west for signing here, leaving a team with a pos on the team to come here, to see another pos doing the same shitOk, random new user/troll.

Is Pop going to be loyal to TP? Yeah. That's something everyone has to terms with; but, I think he might has a little resurgence since Tim and Tiago won't be cloggin the lane. I mean, the addition of LMA no matter how you see it is going to be fucking positive for our offense. Defensively, I hope TP can find his balls again.

It's actually crazy awesome. LMA is exactly what is needed to help frenchie get back on track and help Kawhi go to the next level.

[SupremeGuy]

I agree with you that Pop was loyal to TP to a fault. But I just got done watching Games 4-7; and Green was missing a lot of good looks. He was not shooting with confidence in that series. It was a bad time for him to lose his confidence. But he played a monster Game 7 (except for allowing CP to go right on that final play).I'm not making excuses for Verde, but I remember he had just nailed a few 3s and we got a steal when TP decided to force it instead of popping out to him... I think that play was crucial. Green probably hits that 3 instead of us getting a turnover and we keep momentum. Ehhhh no point in talking about it.

Dude, I'm still mad at Manu for the foul. Still hate the clock(setters?) for 0.4. Still blah blah blah...

Let's just move forward hoping TP doesn't shit the brick again.

[SupremeGuy]

The only shit that annoys people on here are assholes that try to say TP wasn't horrible last year. He was. Period.

[TheDoctor]

Danny is awesome as he is right now tbh.

[Sean Cagney]

Okay...just finished watching Game 7 (abridged version) of Clips for the first time. That foul call against Duncan at the end of the game was definitely BS.

No doubt, some b.s. call ends a series once again for the Spurs... Paul acting as usual and instead of just letting the game play out they call it and then the Clips go up two. If it's not called obviously we win on the Duncan FT's unless Webster ties it at the end, at worse OT.

[SpursFan86]

DG has improved every year. No reason to think he won't continue to do so.

Err, that's sort of flawed logic. Players have to peak at some point :lol

[Fuzzy Dunlop]

lol no

[DenialTwist]

Everyone is saying Danny won't get better but at his age, he is what he is. The great thing about his skill set as a 3 & D guy is that he is an elite three point shooter. He just needs to focus on that and the spurs have to capitalize on his shooting abilities not him creating shots. His shooting can even improve next season. It seemed like everyone on the spurs had a down season with their long range shooting. But I think Danny's was due to exhaustion, he played alot when Kawhi and Tony were injured. I'll never forget those two 3OT games against the Grizzlies and Blazers.