Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle on Monday praised rookie Josh Green for his performance with the team in practice during training camp and in the three preseason games.
Green admitted that he has no idea what to expect as a rookie this season but is just working hard to make the transition from college to the NBA. Of course, Green has yet to go through this process before and is just trying to learn as much as possible from his teammates and coaching staff.
“The last couple of weeks I’ve been really busy trying to get used to playing an NBA schedule and practicing every day,” Green said. “I’m a rookie so just going into it I have no idea what to expect or what to do. I’m just trying to learn every single day but I can’t wait to get on the court on this first road trip and bring whatever I can bring to the table to help the team out and get some wins.”
The 18th overall pick said that his teammates have been great in terms of helping him with the transition. They understand the shortened training camp period has created a tough situation this year and Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle even believes Green has earned some respect from them given his work ethic and demeanor at the team facility.
“He had a good preseason. He’s a great practice player,” Carlisle said. “He knows the game, goes hard, works extremely hard. He is a no-nonsense guy that just competes and doesn’t have a lot of unnecessary words in his day-to-day presence on an NBA team. I think he’s a guy that has earned some respect with our veterans. We like him, obviously, we wouldn’t have drafted him at 18. He has got a chance to play some for us, which is good for him and good for us.”
Green averaged 5.7 points, two assists and 1.3 rebounds in three preseason games with the Mavericks. He has played mostly off of the ball to this point and has shown flashes in that role. Carlisle praised him for his ability to cut on the floor and believes he is one of the best on the team in that area.
Though his preseason numbers don’t jump off the page, the 20-year-old appears to have gotten more comfortable each time on the floor and could find himself playing in a large role this season for Carlisle and the Mavericks.
Dallas tips off the regular season on Wednesday vs. the Phoenix Suns.
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