The Grass Is Always Greener With Danny Green
From college to the pros, Green has quietly racked up championships by becoming an elite wingman for the game’s biggest stars
Undervalued in the NBA Draft. A championship with the San Antonio Spurs. Another championship with the Toronto Raptors. A lockdown defender and deep threat. Then, a free agency announcement on Saturday the 6th of July, 2019.
Yes. I’m talking about Danny Green.
When the sun had set on the 2018–19 NBA Season, and the flow of champagne had finally stopped running in the streets of Toronto, Kawhi Leonard’s free agency move to the Clippers understandably dominated the popular conversation. However, amid the media frenzy, Green — Kawhi’s underappreciated teammate — also decided to ditch Canada for a bigger stage when he committed to the teflon purple and stainless gold side of Los Angeles, becoming the least-showy member of the renovated “Showtime.” Perhaps overlooked, the move meant more than one might expect for the League’s dynamics.
After re-watching Game 3 of the NBA Finals in 2019, I was struck by Danny Green’s performance. Despite being a stand out player in the game, conversation still circled around Kawhi, and (of course) Kyle Lowry’s performance and controversial run-in with a Warriors minority owner.
What caught my eye watching that game though, was that in the run of play it was often Danny Green who was answering Steph Curry’s barrage of three-point bombs — you know, just the greatest shooter in the history of the game. And damn, did Danny hang with him.
But this was nothing new for Green, because while he has never been the most headline-grabbing player on any of his teams, winning basketball games seems to follow him wherever he decides to hoop. In fact, he has brought a championship to nearly every team and city he been a Forward on — a rare feat that very few NBA players can claim. And his “luck” didn’t just start when he became a pro.
Let me teleport you way back to the 2005–06 season. A British exchange student (spoiler, this is me) walks across the University of North Carolina’s pristine campus in Chapel Hill. A true basketball fanatic, it seems otherworldly to walk such legendary ground. Nevertheless, there’s still an underlying feeling that I’ve missed out.
Just one year earlier the Tar Heels were spearheaded by the likes of Sean May, Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, and Marvin Williams on a warpath to capturing a national title. As tends to be the case, much of that roster immediately departed for the NBA Draft.
Still, the incoming freshmen class looked promising. Particularly Tyler Hansbrough — who was coming off of back to back Missouri State Championships at High School. Bobby Fraser also had the people of Chapel Hill talking — a McDonald’s All-American who was seemingly ready to contribute off the jump. The other freshmen (Danny Green, Marcus Ginyard, and Mike Copeland, as my memory serves) weren’t making any buzz and were more difficult to find information about.
As soon as the first games tipped off, however, all that hype (or non-hype) went out the chapel window. Danny Green’s game immediately caught my — and North Carolina’s — attention. A rare combination of defensive intensity, pure shooting, and athleticism, he was a perfect perimeter complement to the devastation that Tyler Hansbrough wrought on ACC frontcourts. (Note to reader — if you’re not much of a college basketball fan, go and check Hansbrough’s numbers in college.)
And not to sell my guy Danny Green short — since he delivered one of the most memorable plays in the recent Duke vs UNC rivalry.
To fully appreciate this play, you must understand the intensity of the rivalry and how symbolic Greg Paulus (the guy getting dunked on) was to fans of both teams. To Duke fans, he was the Chosen One. But to the Tar Heels faithful, he embodied everything unholy and unlikable about the other academic institution just down Tobacco Road.
In his senior year, Green would capture a national title of his own and cement his legacy as a Tar Heel. Factoring in what a prestigious and historic basketball school UNC is (where, let’s never forget, Michael Jordan was born as a player), Danny Green left as one of the most versatile prospects to ever play there. He remains the only Tar Heel ever to reach 1,000 points (1,368), 500 rebounds (590), 200 assists (256), 100 blocks (155) and 100 steals (160). He is also the most winningest UNC player of all-time with 123 wins. These are not empty stats; rather, they grace the hallways of the most illustrious basketball program in U.S. history, amplifying how damn good Green’s college career actually was.
And though remaining quiet in demeanor and in the national media, Green had — and continues to have — so much relevance in Chapel Hill, regularly returning for Summer Camps and being mobbed by fans and future players for the great impact he made.
Danny Green is the 6-foot-6 epitome of why I never completely dismiss the fabled “eye test” in evaluating players. His contribution to winning basketball games that I personally witnessed in his college career, never seemed to translate fully, and he remained as a relatively underrated player entering the pros. But the kid could ball in intangible, seemingly unnoticed ways.
Like his ability to defend viciously from both an individual and team perspective, without necessarily stealing the ball — his long wingspan could clog numerous passing lanes and rearrange the angles of any court. And don’t forget his inhuman tendency to somehow improve his play in bigger games. Or the fact that he’s literally an elite (I don’t use that word lightly) chase-down shot blocker.
Or that he’s the kind of shooter who will hit at a very respectable clip over the course of an entire season (over 40% for his career), but can also get into a zone where he can (for a single game at least) go shot for shot with Curry as he did in Game 3 of the 2019 finals. Or, you know, casually break the NBA Finals record for 3 point shots made (since beaten by Steph).
With the exception of his ill-fated stint in Cleveland as a rookie, Danny Green has undisputedly made every team that he’s played on better. Before signing on with the Toronto Raptors to win a championship in 2019, he hooped for the dynastic San Antonio Spurs, where his consistent role as a star support player helped earn him and his team a chip in 2014.
In the context that the Lakers have been hunting for a third star to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Lakers fans would be forgiven for not being particularly excited at the signing of Green last summer. But Green should not be dismissed as a minor cog.
A key component of championship triumphs in two different cities running in two unique systems (and not to mention his NCAA trophy while starting at North Carolina), Green’s combination of floor spacing, perimeter defense and ability to heat up offensively is arguably one of the finest synergies out there for what the Lakers will actually need to get the best out of their stars.
Green is more than “just a role player.” He has perfected the ability to quietly but surely summon championships wherever he goes, and up until COVID abruptly ended the 2019–20 season, it looked like he was likely to do it again, while having the best time of his career.
Besides Robert Horry and John Salley, no other NBA player in history has won a ring with three different teams, in three different cities. Green is on the verge of doing this, and if you count his NCAA championship, he will be considered among the most victorious basketball names of all-time. That should say something about what he’s worth.
