How Javonte Green transformed his game with the Bulls

In hindsight, one of the true gem finds for the Chicago Bulls front office at the trade deadline last season was the former undrafted free agent and defensive standout shooting guard/wing Javonte Green. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley landed Green in a trade with the Boston Celtics at the deadline last season.

The Bulls got Green in the trade that also saw center Daniel Theis come to Chicago and center Luke Kornet shipped off to the Celtics.

Since landing with the Bulls at the trade deadline last season, Green has completely transformed his game in a way that has made him a rock in this rotation for second-year head coach Billy Donovan. In two seasons, and 73 regular season games played, for Green with the Celtics he only got four starts.

In just 19 games played out of the gates during the 2021-22 regular season, Green already has twice that many starts with the Bulls.

There are two reasons for that happening. The first is just the fact that Green is playing some very efficient and productive two-way basketball for Donovan and the Bulls since the trade deadline last season. And the second is the potential regular season-ending injury for second-year forward Patrick Williams last month.

That opened up a spot in the starting unit that Green showed he could handle during a solid preseason stint for the Bulls this year. And while Green isn’t necessarily getting a high number of minutes game in and game out, he’s filling this role in the starting unit admirably for the Bulls.

Green is doing a lot of the dirty work that is helping the Bulls play better defense and steal away some extra possessions. As a season this season, Green has averaged around five rebounds per game and 1.5 steals.

Chicago Bulls getting the most out of a transformed Javonte Green this season

That gritty work that doesn’t always get as appreciated as it should is why Green is so important to the Bulls. And this is a niche that he’s filling for the Bulls that is largely why he held a spot in the Celtics’ rotation after signing as an undrafted free agent a few years ago.

Yet, the parts of Green’s game that transformed since landing with the Bulls last season are also apparent. Green is hitting the offensive glass harder as he’s playing more minutes at the three and four for the Bulls this season. And he’s really blossomed as a shooter from downtown during his run with the Bulls.

So far this season, Green has registered a career-best 8.5 offensive rebounding percentage, highlighting the impact he’s had for this team on the offensive glass. Given that the Bulls are often playing small-ball lineups this season, Green is filling an important void that would be there on the offensive glass otherwise. He’s averaging nearly three offensive rebounds per 36 minutes, which is a career-best for him.

Green has also established himself as a real threat shooting from the corners. In two seasons with the Celtics, Green shot 38 percent on corner three-point attempts. And he took just 38 percent of his three-point attempts from the corners.

That number has risen dramatically with the Bulls, as Green is now taking more than 55 percent of his three-point attempts from the corners. And he is hitting his corner three-point attempts at a rate of 56.3 percent.

Green almost has a perfect correlation of corner three-point attempt rate compared with corner three-point shooting percentage. Donovan and the Bulls have picked up on that trend to help Green become a more efficient player in terms of shot selection.

When you look at Green’s shot chart and matchup distribution on defense, you see where his game has really developed. Green’s shot chart looks like it was drawn up by Daryl Morey. There are not really any shots coming from anywhere but the corners, above-the-break on open three-point shots, and within five feet of the rim.

Green is also starting to take some of the toughest defensive matchups that the Bulls have on a nightly basis. That is not something that the Celtics trusted him with in years past.

What’s crazy is that Green’s defensive efficiency really hasn’t dipped all that much since assuming some of the tougher defensive matchups this season. Since landing with the Bulls at the trade deadline last season, Green has registered a solid 0.8 defensive box plus/minus and a 106 defensive rating. Both are good for the top three on the team over that span.

All in all, the key to Green transforming his game came largely thanks to his situational three-point shooting ability, versatile defense, and underrated physical tools. Green is lengthy and athletic, giving him the ability to defend really anyone between the one and the four. And he can live above the rim as he’s shown early on this season.

Hopefully, Green can continue his solid play to help the Bulls end a two-game losing streak heading into their next game. A 12-6 Bulls team is set to take on the struggling Orlando Magic on the road on Nov. 26.