Of course, when speaking about the Chicago Bulls, many speak about their big three of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic. But, like many other NBA teams, the Bulls have other players that provide them support and energy like an Alex Caruso and Patrick Beverley. However, even when considering those players, some forget another impactful player; Javonte Green the spark plug.
A Rocky Start
After completing 4 years of college basketball, Green declared for the 2015 draft, where unfortunately he wasn’t picked up by any team. Therefore, he had to make his own way to play basketball professionally elsewhere.
Not too long after the draft, he decided to take his talents to the many basketball leagues in Europe. Specifically, he played for three countries: Spain, Italy, and Germany.
In Spain, he played the 2015-16 season for the Marin Peixe Galego. As shown on proballers.com, he averaged 18.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. He shot 52.6 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from three, and 70.9 percent from the line.
While in Italy, he played two seasons for the Allianz Trieste, specifically the 2016-17 season and the 2017-18 season. As shown, he averaged 16.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. He shot 52.9% from the field, 34.9 percent from three, and 75.5 percent from the line.
In Germany, he played the 2018-19 season with the Ratiopharm Ulm. He averaged 14.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. He shot 55.1 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from three, and 71.4% percent from the line.
Essentially, no matter what team he was on in Europe, Green made an impact. He seemed to always shoot efficiently and always provide some sort of lift scoring-wise. tThe league took notice of those talents.
A New Start
Eventually, the Boston Celtics picked him up. This was where he played his first two NBA seasons.
As shown on Basketball Reference, over the course of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Green averaged 3.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. He shot 51.8 percent from the field, 29.1 percent from three, and 66.7 percent from the line.
Basically, the Celtics weren’t a good fit for Green and has stats took a major toll. He also missed quite a few games due to injuries and health and safety protocols, leading him to play a total of 73 games in 2 NBA seasons for them.
Therefore, the Celtics decided to trade him midseason.
As shown on NBA.com, the trade was as follows:
-Celtics receive Moritz Wagner and Luke Kornet
-Washington Wizards receive Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchinson
-Bulls receive Daniel Theis, Troy Brown Jr., and Javonte Green
Since he was traded at an awkward time, he couldn’t fully show his capabilities to the Bulls. But, over the course of the 2021-22 season, he was finally given that opportunity.
Green’s Significance as a Bull
In that season, Green averaged 7.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. In addition, he shot 54.2 percent from the field, 35.6 percent from three, and 83.3 percent from the line. Of course, these stats don’t exactly jump out of the box score, but his game is much more than that.
Here are some of his 2021-22 highlights:
As shown, his game not only provided some offensive lift, but he also showed off his athleticism to give the Bulls energy throughout the game. Therefore, dubbing him Javonte Green the spark plug.
That has also carried over to last season, the 2022-23 season.
In that season, he averaged 5.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists. Also, he shot 56.5 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three, and 66.7 percent from the line.
Here were some of his 2022-23 highlights below:
As shown, he’s provided similar energy even though he dealt with major knee issues and missed more than half of the season.
His presence on the court was sort of like controlled chaos that seemed to lead to more good than bad. He was far from the best player on the court but was one of the most hardworking.
When he was gone, the Bulls missed that dearly.
Hopefully, he’s able to come back in the 2023-24 season his same energetic self and continue to provide hope to an otherwise mediocre Bulls team.
Unfortunately, now, all Bulls fans can do is hope that the offseason doesn’t bare any bad news about his health.
Stay tuned for more NBA content, including midseason moves, contract updates, and more pieces about every team.
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