Green will attempt to make an NBA roster. (Image by Getty Images via @daylife)
Junior guard Jeremy Green has decided to keep his name in the NBA Draft and forfeit his final year of NCAA eligibility at Stanford. Green, who most draft experts believe has only the slightest of chances to be drafted, will likely be headed overseas to pursue a professional career either in Europe or the Middle East.
The 6′ 4″ shooting guard from Austin is currently away from Stanford on academic suspension sent down by the university’s administration. Green was arrested at the beginning of the 2009-10 season on suspicion of domestic violence. No charges were filed against him.
His performance and consistency suffered during his junior season, following the graduation of Landry Fields in June 2010.
NBA scouts see Green as a one-dimensional shooter that does not have the size or speed to compete at the shooting guard position or the vision and quickness to run the point at the professional level. His game does not have the polish and versatility that allowed Fields to go from what was seen as a second-round reach to a starter on a playoff team this year with the New York Knicks.
While Green’s decision to leave is a puzzling one, its effects on the Stanford program are not yet clear. Although the Card will lose its leading scorer from last season and a team captain, Green’s departure will open up opportunities for the rising sophomores (especially Anthony Brown, Dwight Powell, and Aaron Bright) to get the ball and shoot more, as well as be more involved in the offense. Incoming freshman Chasson Randle, a combo guard, will also see more playing time with Green gone.
And while Green’s decision to leave might initially look like a definite drawback for Stanford, many Cardinal fans–and perhaps even head coach Johnny Dawkins and his staff–were sick of Green, a holdover from the Trent Johnson Era. At the very least, the younger portion of the roster will have more frequent chances to mature as players, and Stanford fans and the Athletic Department will be able to judge whether or not Dawkins should stay on as head coach beyond the 2011-12 season.
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