Doc Rivers on Jeff Green: ‘I Think He’s Too Nice’

Green’s new coach wants him to be more aggressive on the offensive end, and not defer to the team’s superstars so much. From ESPN: “Celtics coach Doc Rivers offered an interesting criticism of Jeff Green following Sunday’s 101-90 victory over the Detroit Pistons. ‘I think he’s too nice,’ Rivers said. ‘He’s trying to please the other guys on the floor. I’ve always thought playing with us is difficult, when you’re new, because you’re playing with Paul [Pierce] and Ray [Allen] and Kevin [Garnett] and [Rajon] Rondo and you almost don’t think like you deserve to be an aggressive offensive player or you should be, and I think he does that way too much.’ Since joining the Celtics late in February, Green has averaged 11.1 points on 8.3 field goal attempts per game. The C’s are counting on Green to provide an offensive spark off the bench, and he’s done just that in certain games, like when he scored 13 of his 19 points in the second quarter in a win over the Indiana Pacers back on March 16. But there have been other games where Green’s been less aggressive with his shot selection, and as a result, his contributions have been minimal. In his last two contests, he’s averaged just four points on five field goal attempts and two rebounds. Rivers suggested he’s still being too passive at times, but has begun to work his way out of that habit. ‘He had a couple [opportunities Sunday] where he had clear drives and he still [passed them up],’ said Rivers. ‘You see Ray and Paul there [and think] ‘I think I should throw it to them.’ And we’re trying to tell him we need him to be aggressive. He’ll get it. He’s getting better each game.'”