Gerald Green is coming to Miami, and he may be the final piece to the puzzle. He adds depth behind an injury-prone Dwyane Wade, and brings a much-needed ability to hit shots consistently from beyond the arc.
Green has bounced around the league quite a bit over his 10-year career, but during his stint with the Phoenix Suns, he proved to be a quality role player. In 2014, he placed fourth in the voting for Most Improved Player of the Year. That season, Green played in 82 games, and made 204 3s at a clip of 40 percent. If Green can remain that healthy and recreate numbers like that in Miami, he could make a huge impact.
It’s maybe not realistic to expect Green to shoot at a 40 percent clip this season considering he’s only done that once in his decade-long career, but he is probably the Heat’s second best catch-and-shoot option. Last season, on catch-and-shoot opportunities from behind the arc, Green shot an efficient 37.6 percent, per NBA.com. Of Green’s 884 points in 2014-15, 322 of them came off of catch-and-shoot plays. The only player on the Heat to best those numbers was Chris Bosh, who shot an impressive 40 percent on those opportunities.
Another reason Green is a great fit for the Heat is because of the insurance he brings in case someone like Loul Deng or Dwyane Wade can’t outrun father time. If you’ve been watching the Heat for the past four years, you know Wade is due to miss 20 games. Wade hasn’t played in over 70 games in a year since the 2010-11 season.
Now I understand he’s not a team-altering free agent, but he does fill several voids in the Heat roster. Not only is Green a capable 3-point shooter and an extra body on the wing, but he also brings athleticism to a team that is depending on an aging Wade and a post-pulmonary-embolism Chris Bosh.
Green’s only real flaw as a role player is his lackluster defense. According to 82games.com, the Suns were 4.6 points worse defensively with Green on the court. And according to ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus, among 99 shooting guards, Green ranked 93 in Defensive Real Plus-Minus. Considering Wade ranked 72nd last season in the same category, it’s fair to say the Heat may have a defensive issue at the 2-guard position.
But besides defense, Green seems to be an absolutely perfect fit on this title-contending Heat roster. His athleticism and 3-point shooting are two huge attributes this team was missing. Not to mention, he also signed for a very team-friendly price. Heat fans should be happy, and so should Micky Arison’s wallet.