NBA Draft: Top 3 shooting guards for the New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans NBA Draft: Josh Green could be an elite defender

Josh Green

Coming out of high school, Josh Green was considered one of the top talents in the country.

A silky smooth, guard/wing who can defend, shoot the 3-pointer and take people off the dribble. What’s not to like?

The problem was that it never all came together for Green at Arizona. He was good at a lot of things but not great at any of them.

He was a middling scorer, averaging 12 points a game. He’s not a great rebounder or passer and shoots the 3-point shot at just above average for his position.

Green is not great at any one thing but he is good at all of them and has the potential to be a defensive weapon in the NBA.

Green is 6-foot-6 with an amazing 6-foot-10 wingspan, which gives him plus size for a guard. He defended four positions on the floor in college and should be able to defend at least three in the NBA.

Green is a disruptive defender with quick hands who avered 1.5 steals per game in college. He has the defensive potential to pick up some of the slack if the Pels do trade Jrue Holiday, which is the skillset the Pelicans need around all of their offensive stars.

At the very least, Green will be an effective 3-and-D guy with a heavy emphasis on defense, and at the most, he becomes more effective with the ball and becomes a force on the offensive end as well.

Green lacks any one elite NBA skill but is above average in all of them and is a fit on this Pelicans’ roster that desperately needs long defenders.