The Los Angeles Lakers have lost the sixth member of their 2019-20 championship team to retirement, with Danny Green taking to Instagram to make the announcement on Thursday.
A 15-year NBA veteran, Green joined the Lakers as a free agent in July 2019.
It’s a good thing he did too.
The Lakers’ last championship team received a lot of flak for winning in the NBA Bubble, a factor beyond their control. However, when the 2020 NBA Playoffs began, all the Lakers cared about was taking their destiny into their own hands.
Amazingly, LA went just 3-5 when the NBA resumed play in late July, losing to teams like the Toronto Raptors and Houston Rockets. Their offense was sputtering. Former head coach Frank Vogel was changing starting lineups like t-shirts. Then, after limping into the postseason, LeBron James and Anthony Davis came alive.
The Lakers handily defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, Rockets, and Denver Nuggets in quick succession. Davis, starting at power forward, the position he long felt more comfortable playing, helped. He was able to be more dynamic at both ends and was less strained physically.
Green had been quiet though.
In the final eight games of the 2019-20 season, the former second-round pick shot just 25.0% from three. It had been a strange year for Green, who made 36.7% of his three-pointers that season. As a career 40.0% three-point shooter, he’s used to being more efficient. That being said, in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, Green made just 33.9% of his threes.
However, in the 2020 NBA Finals, Green stepped up in a big way. He shot 7-18 (38.9%) from three over the last three games as the Lakers closed out the Miami Heat.
So, hats off to one of the game’s better clutch performers. Without him, maybe the Lakers get the job done anyway. Nonetheless, he’s one of the reasons there’s no need to wonder.
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