It was a successful night for former Arizona Basketball star, as Josh Green was selected by the Dallas Mavericks, but how well does he fit in Dallas?
It looks like Josh Green will be bringing the ‘D’ to Dallas, as the versatile guard was selected No. 18 overall on Wednesday evening to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Considered to be the Wildcats’ highest rated prospect following the 2019-20 season, if you solely looked at his production while in Tucson, you would think that he would be drafted the last out of the trio of Zeke Nnaji, Nico Mannion and Green.
Arizona Wildcats
However, as everyone should know by now, it is that the NBA Drafts off athleticism, potential, versatility, etc. rather than solely just production.
Believe it or not, to me, he was the clear cut choice to be Arizona’s highest rated pick this year, and standing a sturdy and lengthy 6-feet-6-inches and 210 pounds, he arguably has the highest upside.
His athleticism and defensive presence he brings to the court is why the Dallas Mavericks selected him No. 18 overall, and for the casual fans that don’t understand, this is a good pick for them.
Despite the stellar play of future NBA Megastar Luka Dončić and Kristaps Porzingis, their team suffered on the defensive end of the floor, ranking No. 18 overall following the 2019-20 season.
With the defense’s weakness being such an Achilles heel them, why wouldn’t they want to draft one of the best defensive wings and best defensive perimeter players in the draft?
Look, there’s no skating around the fact that Green still has a ways to go offensively in terms of his shooting and consistent scoring. He is athletic as hell when it comes to scoring around the basket and finishing, but not exactly the sharpest shooter in the draft.
That’s easy for him. By going to Dallas, he will have good pieces around him to play along with and compete with in practice, while his offensive game continues to develop and progress. While that’s happening, he will provide immediate defensive value, and will help improve the Mavs on the perimeter defensively, so our former Wildcat does bring a lot of value to Dallas.
In case you need a reminder of how good of a player he can be, here you go…
At Zona Zealots, we’re happy for Josh and can’t wait to see what he can do. As always, Bear Down, Arizona!