Toronto Raptors: End Of Year Report Cards
Danny Green
Most of the focus was on Kawhi Leonard when Danny Green was acquired by the Toronto Raptors this past summer. However, Green quickly proved to be anything but a “throw in.”
The veteran sharpshooter fit seamlessly into the starting five. Green excelled as a secondary scoring option. Green consistently contributed despite Leonard, Lowry, and Siakam being the more prominent scorers.
The 31-year old shot a career-best 45.5 percent three-point range in the regular season. Green’s sharpshooting earned him a trip to the Three-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend.
On the defensive end is where he earned his stripes. Green was often tasked with the tough assignments. However, he was never a liability on the defensive end.
He became one of Toronto’s most aggressive and hard-nosed defenders. Nobody was getting any extra space without putting in a lot of work. But, despite all this Green only fouled out one time during the entire year.
There is something to be said about a hyper-aggressive defender only fouling out once throughout the Regular and postseason. In comparison: Paul George fouled out 4 times, Rudy Gobert fouled out twice, and Giannis Atnetokoumpo fouled out twice.
Something that Danny Green did really well was making his matchup work. He was constantly forcing opposing players deep into the shot clock. This lead to forced shots and more offensive opportunities for the Raptors.
At times during the postseason Green experienced shooting woes. However, his confidence never wavered and he contributed in other areas.
Despite some streaky shooting Green was able to knock down big shots when needed. A prime example of this was in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The 31-year old broke out of a slump and drained six three-pointers.
Much has changed since Green became a Raptor this past summer. No longer is he just “the guy who was traded with Kawhi.” His play this season has likely earned him a substantial raise. Many teams would pay a premium for a veteran three-point specialist.
Satisfying expectations: 8/10
Production relative to contract: 8/10
Overall output: 8.5/10
Total score: 24.5/30
Letter Grade: A-