If you could just start out with a little bit of intro about your game and what you’ll bring to your new team.
Yeah, so my name is Josh Green, originally from Sydney, Australia. I think just coming from the get-go, I think my biggest thing is just going to be able to bring a hard-working atmosphere, being competitive, working, trying to continue to grow as a player. Learning from the older guys on the team and just bringing everything on the defensive end and doing whatever I can for the team to help the team out.
What do you think of the roster of the Dallas Mavericks?
It’s awesome. I think being in a situation like that, it’s a lot of international players, so it’s awesome. Watching them play, super unselfish. They’ve got superstars in Porzingis and Luka. So just being in that environment and continuing to grow every day, it’s awesome.
As an NBA player, what are your goals?
Just to continue to get better every day. I think a lot of players take for granted the draft. For me, I got drafted; now I want to continue to make my legacy, continue to grow as a player, continue to develop and just learn as much as I can.
You mentioned Luka. I’m curious about what you think about him. And also you played with Nico Mannion in college. What do you think about Nico?
Yeah, I mean, first of all, Luka is an amazing player. Being his age, doing what he’s doing, it’s awesome. He’s an unselfish and overall just looks like a great teammate.
And Nico, I’ve been lucky enough to be around Nico for five years. He’s awesome. Nico is a great kid. Comes from a great family. Plays very well off the pick-and-roll. Overall, I wish nothing but the best for him.
I wondered how much you knew about the Mavericks, how much you’ve watched them over the years, or has it just been maybe a recent thing since they got Luka? And also Rick Carlisle told us a little while ago that they had a really good Zoom call with you a couple weeks ago, and I wondered about your impressions of meeting the Mavericks brass in that way.
Yeah, I’ve always watched the Mavericks from a young age. They’ve always been dominant in the Western Conference. For me to say that I’m a part of the organization is crazy. It’s an unreal feeling.
But my meeting with them, I felt like it was amazing. They’re really down-to-earth, good people. I just felt like I got along with them very well, and you could tell they take their player development very serious as well as the organization.
I was all for it. I was super pumped, and I loved the Mavericks. It’s something I continued to stress to my agent — what are the Mavericks thinking, what about this. So I’m stoked right now.
Just talk about the moment of the selection, being with your family and finally making it into the league after working so hard to get there.
It’s a star-struck moment. I think it’s one of those moments, you don’t know what emotion to really express.
For me being with my family, it’s awesome. It’s something I dreamed of during my whole entire life. For it to really happen is amazing. Obviously, it would have been cool to be in person, but this will never happen again. So being around my family and my close ones has been amazing for me.
Can you give a bit of background about your affiliation with Australia and how that’s sort of helped you on this journey and everything that goes into that?
Yeah, I mean, for starters, I’m from Sydney, so I got you on that one, but I feel like I’ve always loved basketball. I had to choose between Australian football and basketball. But for me, I think a big part is just being able to represent Australia.
I think I was in a position I never would have thought I would have been in. So for me to have this opportunity now is just like — I don’t even know how to put it. It’s crazy. It’s unrealistic. Yeah, words can’t describe it.
Rick Carlisle described you as a 3-and-D guy. I’m sure you would describe yourself the same way. What in your game beyond just defense and three-point shooting, especially with your offensive game, do you see as kind of the next steps for you to take as you head into the NBA as something you can kind of improve and polish?
Yeah, I mean, I think for anybody, they’re going to have stuff they need to work on. But for me, I need to focus on the things the team needs. I feel like in my position in the role which the team will want me to play, I don’t think I need to do anything outside of that.
I think if I’m able to play defense, continue to work as hard as I can, hit open shots and do what the team needs to do, I feel like that happens.
And as far as the rest of my game, as far as maybe creating a shot, I feel like that comes over time with player development and also respect from your coach.
So for me coming to the Mavericks, I want to make sure I’m able to do whatever the team needs to be better and to win a game.
