In an Oct. 29 game against the Detroit Pistons, Jeff Green drove down the lane and made a game-winning shot with 2.5 seconds left to give the Oklahoma City Thunder its second win of the young season.
His clutch layup gave Hoya fans a pleasant flashback to Georgetown’s 2007 climb to the Final Four. In one of the last games he would play alongside Roy Hibbert, Green hit a buzzer-beating shot in the Sweet Sixteen against Vanderbilt.
With Green on the verge of a breakout season in the NBA, now is a good time to look at his first few years in the league. In his fourth year of professional ball, Green is averaging 19.7 points per game. Yes, three games is a small sample size, but his improved scoring—his average was 10.5 points per game in his rookie year, 16.5 in his second year, and 15.1 last year—and Friday’s game-winning shot shows that he is more confident than before, even when the game is on the line.
Green’s former teammate Hibbert has put up big numbers this year, too. Instead of entering the NBA draft after his junior year, Hibbert stuck around for his senior season. Even though this put him a year behind Green, this season he has averaged 18.3 points and 10 rebounds per game—almost doubling his average in both categories from last season.
It’s not news that Hoyas can play excellent NBA basketball—Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, and Allen Iverson are all legends in the pros. But out of all of the NBA jerseys hanging in McDonough Gymnasium, only four of them belong to players who have been coached by John Thompson III.
And those four are the only Hoyas to have made the NBA after playing in the Princeton offense. We now know that Hibbert and Green have the ability to succeed in the NBA, but the fact that both of these top-20 picks took so long to adjust to NBA play shows how Georgetown’s basketball program isn’t meant to put player on the fast track in the NBA.
When high school players sign their letters of intent to play for Georgetown, they know that JTIII’s program will turn them into all-around good players. The Princeton offense forces every player on the floor, no matter their size, to possess a diverse skill set. It is not uncommon for a center to be at the top of the key or to make a lot of assists. Everyone is constantly moving and finding a way to get the best shot—not necessarily for themselves but for the team. The Georgetown style of play encourages teamwork, precise execution, and strategy. Players will be well-rounded on the court when they leave Georgetown, and those who possess enough skill will make it to the next level.
Hoyas who make it to the NBA have the foundation for success, but they do have to build themselves up to play a faster, harder game. The last thing the Princeton offense encourages is speed, which is vital when playing with the NBA’s 24-second shot clock.
Greg Monroe has only played 52 minutes so far this season, but the 10 rebounds he pulled down against the Celtics show the promise his career holds. If the paths Hibbert and Green took are any indication, however, it will be a while before Monroe starts making big contributions to his team. The fact that Monroe was a highly-touted prospect in high school and is younger than Hibbert and Green were when they were drafted may accelerate his professional development.
Although Monroe should have a long career in the NBA, it is not easy for everyone. Ever since graduating in 2008, Patrick Ewing Jr. has been on the cusp of playing in the NBA, only playing a few preseason games for the New York Knicks, before being cut in both 2008 and 2010. As some of his former teammates are settling in with their NBA teams, Ewing is still trying to find his way.
For four consecutive seasons, Hoyas have walked out of the front gates and into the NBA. But for those players, it is not a matter of just getting there, but building on their skills successfully enough to stay there.
