Toronto Raptors: Danny Green leaves his mark at All-Star weekend

Danny Green represented the Toronto Raptors well, by putting on a good show in the 3-point contest and amusing people with his interviews.

When Danny Green came to the Toronto Raptors with Kawhi Leonard, he was recognised as an underrated but valuable part of the trade. His performances this season have only reinforced this.

Green has been a regular starter — only missing two games — and is having his best season since the 2014-15 campaign. He is averaging a shade under 10 points, while grabbing four boards per contest and playing excellent defence.

Where the 31-year-old has particularly shone, is with his three-point shooting. He leads the Raptors with a shooting percentage of .421. (Apologies to Marc Gasol and his 100 percent shooting percentage, but one attempt in three games as a Raptor doesn’t quite qualify!)

Given Green’s efficiency from downtown, his appearance in this year’s 3-point contest was well deserved. It was also special for him, given that he played his college hoops at North Carolina.

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No doubt this provided extra motivation for the 2009 second round draft pick. He proceeded to put on a strong showing for the Raptors and their fans in Charlotte, albeit in a losing cause.

Shooting seventh in the first round, Green was already facing a tall order when he stepped onto the court. Buddy Hield and Joe Harris had 26 and 25 points respectively, with only three players advancing to the final.

Regardless, the North Babylon, New York native went out and remained calm by scoring at least four points on every rack. By the time he got to the last rack, a place in the final was well within his reach.

Green drained his first three money balls. However, the luck with assisted his third money ball deserted him for his last two shots and he finished on 23 points.

At that point, Green was in the top three. Unfortunately for him, a certain Steph Curry was yet to shoot.

Curry went on to score 27 points, which including nailing his last 10 shots, to secure a place in the final. In other years, Green’s 23 points would have been enough to advance, but not on this occasion.

Not that this mattered too much to the former San Antonio Spur, who was thoroughly enjoying himself in Charlotte. But don’t just take our word for it:

Heck, even that wasn’t enough for Green, who provided commentary on TNT during Friday’s Rising Stars Challenge. The combination of his personality and basketball IQ made him a natural for the role.

The shooting guard made sure to give plenty of love to one of his Raptors teammates during the game. Listen to him comments about OG Anunoby, who finished the night with 12 points, two boards and one assist:

Overall, seeing how much Green has enjoyed himself, shows how much fun the NBA All-Star weekend can be for the players as well as the fans. You imagine for Raptors fans specifically, it also makes them want to root for him just that little bit more.

There is no denying Leonard is the player who will make everyone in Toronto happiest, if he decides to re-sign for next season. However, if Green also returns, this should provide people with another reason to cheer.

Have you enjoyed this year’s All-Star festivities, whether it be from the perspective of a Toronto Raptors fan or in general? What is your take on Green’s performances so far this season for the team? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.