2008-09 News and Features

What's up with Willie?

10 Questions with Sixers guard Willie Green

What’s made your transition into becoming a reserve so seamless?
“Just being a team basketball player. I realize it’s not about me starting or coming off the bench, it’s about what I can do to help the team win. It’s really not about me.”

Have your shots improved this season as a result of coming off the bench?
“Not really as a result of coming off the bench, I think it’s just having both Andres (Iguodala and Miller) and Elton (Brand) – they draw a lot of double teams and open things up for everybody else.”

Andre Iguodala has kind of taken on a different role this year. He’s been finding open teammates with frequency and doing so many different things on the floor. What do you think brought that on?
“I think he’s showing his versatility. He’s impacting the game – not scoring, but through finding teammates on offense and, on the defensive end, he's been blocking shots and getting into passing lanes. He’s just all over the court. Like you said, he’s one of our teams' the leaders in assists. He’s one of those players who fills up the stat sheet.”

Coming off the bench you’ve had a lot of success. When did you feel like, ‘Okay, I can do this’ ? Was there a game or something in particular this season where you felt that?
“No. I mean, I’ve been saying it since day one, ‘I’m a basketball player. You put me in the starting line up, or you take me off the bench, whatever the case is – I’m out there playing basketball the way it’s supposed to be played’”.

You guys have won five of the last six games, but some of them have been dogfights. What do you think is the intangible with this group that’s enabled you guys to find a way to pull it out in the end?
“The games that we've won, we played with a sense of urgency down the stretch. That’s something we need to continue to do, not only late in the game, but over the course of the entire game. If we come out and play every game like that, we’ll be in every game. We’ll have a chance to win every game.”

You’ve been more aggressive this year. Why?
“Well I just feel like I’m more aggressive on the defensive end, and I think we’re going to need that down the stretch. I’ll be able to relieve some of the guys, like Andre (Iguodala) and Thad (Young). I want to come in and make sure the defensive intensity stays high.”

Did you do anything specific this off season to improve your game?
“I worked on all parts of my game, but I especially worked on shooting the three-point ball and making sure I’m in the right spots to be open for the guys to hit me.”

What do you think Elton Brand has brought to the team and your game?
Anytime you’ve got a guy who draws double teams, someone is open. He’s (Elton) opening up the floor for everyone.

Do you feel like you’ve become more of a student of the game in your new role? Are you able to dissect the game from the bench and apply what you see when you enter the game?
Definitely. For me personally – just being on the bench and seeing what’s happening so I can go in the game and try to make a difference has made a difference. I’m able to pick up tendencies and just see how guys (opponents) are playing on a particular night and then get into the game and use it to my advantage.