[MFFL]

Josh Green | W | Arizona | Birthdate: Nov. 16, 2000 (Age: 20) | 6-6 | 215 LBS | Hometown: Sydney, Australia

BACKGROUND: Parents are Cahla and Delmas, both of whom were semi-pro basketball players in Australia. Was elite in a few sports as a youth player, including basketball, swimming and Australian football. Was particularly good at Australian football, and actually at one point actually had a developmental spot with AFL team Greater Western Sydney. Ultimately decided that basketball was his calling, though. His family moved to Phoenix when he was 14. Enrolled in a few schools over his time here. Initially went to Mountain Ridge High in Phoenix, then as a sophomore attended Hillcrest Prep with future No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton. After that season, he chose to transfer to IMG Academy in Florida, which is where he stuck for good. There, he blossomed into a truly elite prospect in the class. Earned five-star status following a terrific Basketball Without Borders performance in 2018. Then, went to Nike Hoop Summit that spring and played well. As a senior, he led IMG Academy to a national high school championship in hoops, and was named MVP of the title game. Ultimately, Green finished as a consensus five-star recruit just outside of the top-10 in his recruiting class. He chose Arizona over a bevy of five-star schools, most notably also considering North Carolina. Had a solid freshman campaign with the Wildcats, albeit one where he was overshadowed sometimes by his other elite recruits. Nico Mannion regularly had the ball in his hands, and Zeke Nnaji put up big numbers as the interior threat. Green simply did his job defending the wing, getting out in transition, and doing little things on the wing. He didn’t receive commendation, but probably should have made the league’s All-Defense team over Jonah Mathews and McKinley Wright. From there, he decided to go pro and fulfill the expectation of being a one-and-done. Flew under the radar a bit because of the lack of gaudy numbers or role, but scouts are intrigued by his athleticism, defensive intensity, and more.

YEAR TEAM LEAGUE Age GP PPG RPG APG TOPG BPG SPG FG% 3P% FT%
2019-20 Arizona NCAA (Pac-12) 19 30 12.0 4.6 2.6 1.6 0.4 1.5 42.4 36.1 78.0

STRENGTHS: Very good athlete who actually knows how to use it in the open court and on defense. Great size for the wing position at 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. Works hard and doesn’t really take possessions off. Very good coordination, and plays with power. Contact doesn’t bother him at all.

The best place you see Green work is on defense. He’s an awesome on-ball defender. His lateral quickness is really high level. Cuts off driving lanes with ease more with his quickness than his length. Then, he uses that length to contest shots and recover if necessary. Really, really good at closing out on shooters after playing in help. Has great balance, so it’s hard to get him leaning in a way that allows him to get driven. Always keeps his arms up to contest, too. Not afraid of playing really physically. Because he’s so strong, guys can’t really go through him if he slides in front. Arizona consistently asked him to defend whoever the best perimeter player was on the opposing team. That ranged from guards like Payton Pritchard to combo guards like Jared Butler to wings like C.J. Elleby to bigger wings like Tres Tinkle. Green will possess some real switchability defensively. He’s also a very instinctive off-ball defender who rotates well and stays in position. He shoots passing lanes with his length and reactivity, and often gets home. He finished top-10 in the Pac-12 in steal percentage. I wouldn’t quite say he’ll be an All-Defense team guy, but it’s not an outcome that is impossible and I feel confident he will be a very positive NBA defender.

Offensively is where things get a bit trickier, but he has some good tools. He’s terrific out in transition because he’s a terrific open floor athlete. He runs the floor hard and gets a ton of opportunities that way. Teams that play up tempo should probably look at him a bit more closely. He’s also a willing passer, especially from a standstill when tying together multiple passes when defenses are in scramble situations. Has good awareness of who is open when he’s the next guy in line, and typically hits that player in a good spot.

WEAKNESSES: The big swing skill for Green is going to be the jump shot, and I’m not sure right now whether I’d call it a positive or a negative. I’ve tossed it here because I think there is still some work to do on it, but I think he has a real chance to be a solid shooter at some point. Green hit 36 percent from 3 and 78 percent from the line this year, and clearly has good touch. But he was incredibly streaky, too. He had a horrid December and January, hitting just 16.7 percent and 23.1 percent in those months. Then in his final 10 games, he hit 14 of 30 3s.

Mechanically, it’s a mixed bag. Green is always ready to shoot and is really great with shot-prep off the catch in spot-up situations. He has a strong base and is very quiet throughout his lower half. He’s balanced and aligns himself toward the rim well. But his release at the top isn’t ideal. His right arm is at a 45 degree angle underneath the ball and he has his thumbs involved with the release. That can lead to some inconsistency at release. He’s also not really a shooter off of any kind of movement right now, as the mechanics are more prone to flying all over the place. Only made seven of his 33 pull-up attempts last year, and five out of 20 shots off of screens.

If Green doesn’t shoot, it’s going to be really hard for him to derive any value on offense. He’s a pretty poor ballhandler, resigned only to straight line drives. His handle is a bit high, and doesn’t really have much control. That hinders him as a passer on the move, as he often looks much more flustered than when he is at a standstill and can diagnose the defense ahead of time. He’s also an exceptionally poor finisher for what you would expect. Green made just 37.5 percent of his halfcourt attempts at the rim according to Synergy, the worst mark among wings in this class. There is some hope for him attacking heavy closeouts, as he has a nice little floater game that is one of his favored moves. But even that shot was made at just about a 39 percent clip last year. Green is going to have to figure out something with either his shot or his finishing, otherwise it’s hard to see him making a real impact on offense.

SUMMARY: Green is such a good defender, and has enough potential to shoot to where it’s worth taking him in the first round. Wings that can provide the versatility he does on the defensive end are in short supply. If he can just make corner 3s at a reasonable 37 percent clip, he probably sticks as either a secondary starting wing or a versatile bench option. I think he probably does that. If he also becomes a movement shooter, there is upside beyond that and he’d certainly morph into being an NBA starter. I’m not quite sure he gets there, though, based on the evidence. And there isn’t quite enough off the bounce to make me think he’s going to be anything other than limited offensively in the NBA. Still, versatile defenders who can shoot are worthwhile pick-ups for teams.

GRADE: 80. Second half of the first round.