Danny Green has had the pleasure of playing with some truly great superstars over the course of his 10-year career. And while he has only been a Laker for less than a full season, he was ready to make a bold comparison regarding one of his newest teammates, Anthony Davis.
In a chat with The Ringer’s Jared Dubin, he drew a comparison between Davis and 5x NBA Champion, Tim Duncan.
“Tim, he made it easy to play defense. I was spoiled. We didn’t have to say anything,” said Green of the future Hall of Famer, according to Jared Dubin of The Ringer. “We knew when to switch. We know how to make calls. We would just see Tim step up and I would go to his man or vice versa.
“I realized how tough it was playing with other bigs. Serge [Ibaka] was pretty good. Marc [Gasol] was great too. But it’s a different type of communication, different type of thing. Even with Dwight [Howard] and JaVale [McGee], it’s still different. [I’m] still learning them. But because they’re so athletic and protect the rim so easily, it makes it easier to do my job.”
As Green points out, he has similar ease playing with the Brow.
Green feels he has jelled particularly well with Davis on defense because their skill sets are so complementary. “AD is high IQ and a good communicator,” he says. “I think me and him, in pick-and-roll situations, has been a very good scenario for us most of the time. Because he’s able to switch. I’m able to switch on the big and try to keep him off the glass.”
Tim Duncan is certainly in an elite category of players. He was a fundamentalist on the court and a leader in the locker room. He’s also a 5x Champion, 2x MVP, 15x All-Star, and 15x All-NBA Player.
While Davis doesn’t have nearly the number of accolades, he makes things similarly easy for. his teammates. As Green points out, his game isn’t just predicated on his physical skill set — there’s a lot that goes on mentally as well.
And, no doubt, this mental excellence will help him lead his team when it matters most (in April, May, and June).
