LOS ANGELES – Kings head coach George Karl didn’t think Jeff Green looked particularly comfortable yet with his new team in the first few games since the trade.
This was before the Clippers played the Kings on Wednesday, at which point Karl said he figured it was only a matter of time before a player as versatile as Green made an impact. Of all the trades at the deadline, Karl wondered how that one happened.
“I thought the Clippers hit the home run on that one,” Karl said.
Green proceeded to look as comfortable as ever in Sacramento, doing everything Karl said Green was capable of, from scoring to defending and making plays. It was mostly the first in that trio of talents that stood out Friday, with Green going 9-for-13 from the floor and 4-for-5 from long distance.
“He’s streaky but good,” said Clippers head coach Doc Rivers. “When he makes one, he makes the second one.”
In Friday’s case, it was also the third and the fourth one. Green was on fire while scoring 22 points, giving him his highest scoring output since becoming a Clipper.
“It’s going to take time,” Green said. “It’s not like I’m fully comfortable. It’s four games, limited practices due to scheduling. But they’re telling me to go out and just play my game…When you have a team like this with so many weapons, you’re going to get easy looks.”
That’s something Green’s finding out more and more with each passing game. As he continues to learn on the fly, he’s also figuring out his teammates, who continued to find him at the most crucial stretch of the game.
With the Clippers trailing by eight points early in the third quarter, they responded by going on a 23-2 run, which included three 3-pointers from Green, who also drew a charge. Green played 31 minutes, his most since joining his new team, taking advantage of the start playing alongside Chris Paul with Paul Pierce out for personal reasons.
Rivers likes what Green brings from a versatility standpoint, capable of playing the three or the four. He said Green can stretch the floor, shoot and facilitate, and with the addition of Green, Rivers believes the Clippers can go big or small at any point in a game.
But he’s not necessarily pinning a specific role on Green.
“I just focus on him playing good basketball,” Rivers said. “His role will be figured out. He’s a facilitator at times, he’s another scorer on the floor, but I don’t think he really needs a defined role.”
Whatever he’s asked on a given night, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, Green said he’s just trying to figure out the flow of the game and provide whatever’s needed.
On Friday, it was mostly his long-range shooting, and he wasn’t hesitant to pull the trigger during the Clippers’ extended run while helping hold the Kings scoreless for more than six and a half minutes.
“It was fun,” Green said. “We were making shots and played together. Most importantly, it all started on the defensive end.”
That’s the kind of mindset that’ll fit right in to anything Rivers asks.
