Name: Erick Green Age: 21 School: Virginia Tech
Height: 6’3 Weight: 185 Projected Position: PG/SG
2012-13 Stats (As of 2/25/13):
25.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.4 spg, 2.0 tpg (36.3 minutes per game)
47.5 FG%, 82.4 FT%, 37.5 3FG%, 2:1 A/TO
59.0 TS%, 52.7 eFG%, 32.3 USG%, 29.3 AST%
SKILLS & ATHLETIC BREAKDOWN
Offense
Perimeter Shooting
Green is an average perimeter shooter. He does a good job getting square to the basket, with a high release point and having good arc and follow-through. He can hit from long-range when he has space, but he doesn’t have great strength, so he has to get more lift from his legs making his shot release a bit slow behind the 3-point line. He is a good mid-range shooter with the ability to hit off the dribble or coming off of screens. He moves well without the ball and comes tight off of screens ready to shoot. He uses his dribble well to create space and if you backpedal on him, he is quick to stop and rise up quick for the short or mid-range jumper. Green does a good job going straight up for his jumper off the dribble, making sure not to float. He doesn’t force many bad jumpers, but because he takes extra time from long-range, defenders can close quicker on him, forcing him to try and adjust.
Penetration
Green is very good at getting into the lane off the dribble. He doesn’t have a great first step, but he uses screens very well, coming off tight and accelerating around the corner. Green is also very good at beating defenders who try to hedge on him on high screens, either beating them around the corner or stepping through and splitting the defenders. He has good body control when he gets into the lane, and he can weave his way through the defense, or if given room, pull up for the short jumper or floater. He isn’t going to overpower going to the basket, but he doesn’t shy away from contact, actually looking to draw it. Green likes to attack the basket coming off screens going to his left knowing that many defenders will be drawn to stopping him to his strong right. He is creative around the basket and can finish in a variety of ways, though he needs to be careful of over-penetrating and getting caught with few options other than a forced shot in traffic.
Ballhandling
Green is a good ballhandler, able to use both hands well and doing a very good job protecting the ball. He has a good crossover and a strong change of pace dribble to allow him to create space and get the defender off-balance. He handles pressure well and is very creative getting away from pressure, using spin moves and step-throughs. He reads defenders well and will look to move based on what they give him.
Passing Skills
Green has above-average court vision and can be a good passer. Green keeps his head up, especially when going to the basket and has a good knack for knowing where his teammates will be open. He has to watch over-penetrating in the lane and getting caught without a good passing option. He sees the court well when coming off of screens, and if Virginia Tech ran more pick-and-roll plays, he would likely make good reads. For the most part, he makes good, hard passes which his teammates can use to make a play quickly.
Free Throw Shooting
Green is a good free throw shooter with a consistent routine at the line. He has an odd motion, stopping for a split second at the top of his motion before he releases the ball, but it doesn’t seem to affect his shot much. Green can be aggressive going to the basket and it shows in the number of free throw attempts he gets every game – He’s averaging almost 9 attempts per game, and gets 1 free throw for every 2 shot attempts.
Defense
Perimeter Defense (On/Off Ball)
Green is a good on-ball defender, positioning himself well between his man and the basket, staying low and moving well laterally. He is capable of pressuring the ballhandler, but prefers to keep them at arm’s length, and looking for an opportunity to use his quick hands to create a turnover. Green needs to do a better job getting over the top of screens against shooters, he will bail out. Also, Green needs to watch being forced to play on his heels and backpedaling when his man is aggressive with the ball. Green needs to learn to stand his ground and force him to a side. Off the ball, Paul generally positions himself well, though he can be caught cheating a bit too much towards the lane. He does a good job looking to jump or disrupt passing lanes but needs to watch falling for pass fakes. He does a good job navigating through screens off the ball, not letting his man get a lot of room and finding ways to get through screens in the lane area. He picks his spots well when he looks to step into the lane and help or to double-team in certain instances. He has good defensive awareness, and does a good job tracking his man and the action away from him. He has stepped up as a leader and can be seen directing his teammates on the defensive end.
Rebounding
Green rebounds well for his size, doing a strong job anticipating missed shots and looking to beat people to the spot, especially on longer rebounds. He is not going to get involved in the physical battle, but pick his spots where he can swoop in and grab the rebound in space. An added bonus when he gets the rebound is he is quick to grab the ball and head up court quickly looking to get the team out in transition.
Transition
Green is very good in transition, both pushing the ball up court himself and running the wings. As the ballhandler on the break, Paul gets the ball up court quickly, stays in control, and looks to get an open space for his shot. He is very good at getting the defender backpedaling and pulling up for the mid-range jumper. If the defender comes up on him, he is aggressive looking to get to the basket and finish strong, absorbing contact if needed. One area he can improve is his ability to draw the defense and find open teammates.
Intangibles/Summary
Enough can’t be said about the job Green has done stepping up as the leader of a young team in a program going through a transition. He has been patient with his teammates and he has thrived being the target of opposing defenses. It can be easy to overlook this on a team with a losing record, but it I can’t imagine how bad it would have been without him. He isn’t a natural point guard, but he has shown he is capable of handling the position while scoring in a variety of ways. He is a good defender who could probably even be better if he didn’t exert so much energy on offense.
Draft Value: Late 1st – Early 2nd – #26-34
Green has continued to improve each year he has been in college, taking on more responsibilities and adding new wrinkles to his game. He is mature and understands the game well, and should continue to learn wherever he happens to play. He may need some time to learn more about running the point at the NBA level, but he can still provide some scoring if given the chance. Developing strength will be important as he will want to be a perimeter threat at the NBA level.
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