One of the biggest story lines during the Los Angeles Lakers 2020 championship run was the ongoing struggles of Danny Green. Throughout the entirety of the postseason, Green averaged just 8.0 points per game on 34.7% shooting and 33.9% from three-point range.
Green received endless criticism from fans, but managed to stay calm and collected in the face of it. He spoke about a hip injury suffered during the playoffs, one that put him on the injury report before almost every game, but never used it as an excuse.
After the fact, Green revealed that he also was dealing with an Achilles injury that slowed him down even more, via “Inside the Green Room” podcast:
“We had to leave the next morning, early. So we didn’t really have much time to recover. Then we had to take a flight for five hours back to L.A. Everybody was very excited to see us because we just got out. But it was like, just wanted to take a day to breathe or relax, or let your body heal. When I got off the plane, man, all the adrenaline wore off, all the injuries came back to life. I felt like a newborn baby deer. My legs were just numb.
“I felt my hip, my Achilles, my whole body. Like, ‘Damn, all the drugs and adrenaline wore off.’ I needed a couple of days before I could celebrate. People were like, ‘Let’s turn up, let’s drink.’ I was like, ‘Nah, I need a couple days to just relax first and get some sleep.’”
Despite the struggles on the offensive end, Green still managed to make a positive impact on the defensive side of the floor. He held a defensive box plus-minus of 0.5 throughout the playoffs.
Green’s role for the 2020-21 season remains unclear, as there is still a possibility he’s traded. However, Green will find a way to bring value to the Lakers no matter what role he’s in. He’ll use the offseason to get back to full health and recover from all of the minor nagging injuries.
Green joins historic list after winning championship with Lakers
With Green winning the championship this season with the Lakers, he became just the fourth player in NBA history to win a championship with three different teams.
He joined Robert Horry, John Salley, and LeBron James after winning it all with the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, and now the Lakers.
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