The NBA is going through a transitional phase as the legends of the 2000s and 2010s pass the baton to young stars, who are taking on responsibilities within their respective organizations. Giving his take on this rise of a new dawn, NBA veteran, Danny Green, believes that young players shouldn’t be in a hurry to reach the mountaintop, and instead prefer to take baby steps on their way to achieving newer heights in the league.
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During a recent sit down with 4-time NBA champion, Draymond Green, on his The Draymond Green Show, the former sharpshooter showered rookie, Derrick Lively II, with a lot of praise.
For him, the Mavs Center is a shining example of how to be a young yet impactful role player. He also referred to the Houston Rockets rookie, Jaylen Green, to explain his theory further,
“A lot of young guys don’t understand which I like in Derrick Lively is you don’t have to do what Jaylen Green does to show your value…you don’t have to do all those things, people know how valuable you are, baby steps, work your way in, work you way up.”
Another thing the three-time NBA champion recognized was that the entire young core on the Dallas side played sacrificial basketball, and was in no hurry to be “the guy” on the team.
Additionally, Danny also shouted out Derrick Lively II, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford for their selfless playstyle, crediting them for Dallas’ sudden turnaround this season. Talking about it further, Danny said,
“That’s why I like Derrick Lively so much and a lot of guys of the Mavericks and I think they have a really good shot cause guys know their roles and they know them early and they are not tripping about having to be that guy yet.”
Even though the Mavericks dropped their first game at TD Garden, many analysts and fans share a similar view to the former Laker, claiming that the Dallas side will turn things around in the coming games. Moreover, Danny heavily bet on the role players for the Mavericks side to come up big for the Mavericks in the upcoming games.
Danny Green is sticking with the Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks got off to a slow start in Game 1 versus Boston in the NBA Finals. The Dallas side cut the game to eight points later in the fourth quarter, but the point difference proved too much for the Mavericks to overcome. However, the former Spur isn’t sweating the loss and still has the Mavericks winning the series in six games.
Danny did mention that on the off chance that the series does get pushed to a Game 7, the situation will more likely be a toss-up, but even then, the 36-year-old thinks the Dallas side will come out on top, mainly due to their two closers in Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. Making further predictions on the show, the Cavaliers forward said,
“If it goes to 7, it’s going to be tough for them( Dallas Mavericks) to beat Boston at home, Boston to me, they are really good, they are not as battle-tested as they should be…and if it’s close I am trusting Dallas’s closers more than I am trusting Boston’s.”
Draymond Green also chipped in with his predictions for the series. Taking the Mavericks, Green emphasized Kyrie Irving having better performances in the Garden, even pointing out how Irving has now gone 0-11 in his last 11 matchups against the Celtics dating back to the 2021 season. After the Game 1 loss, the Mavs surely would like all the motivation to even the series in the next game.
