National Basketball Association

Danny Green looking to build his confidence back this season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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San Antonio Spurs sharp-shooter Danny Green isn’t about to make excuses regarding his play. Green did not want to make any excuses for himself.

Green struggled immensely with his shot last season, and even took jokes from his teammates early in the year.

Tim Duncan had no problem being one of the team jokesters, assured fans that the team would be fine last season at the expense of Green.

We’ve got a good core here. We’ve got a good bunch of young guys. And, obviously (we’re) adding L.A. to that. As long as Danny stops sucking.

Green scheduled Lasik eye surgery this summer to help correct issues with his eyesight.

When reporters asked Green if he attributes some of his shooting woes to his vision problems, Green immediately dismissed the notion.

I’m not going to say it was that. No, I’ve never seen two baskets. My eyesight wasn’t that bad to begin with. I got the procedure done, it helps. That wasn’t the reason why I was shooting poorly. Some seasons you have good ones, sometimes you have bad ones. Sometimes it’s due to adjusting to chemistry, sometimes it’s due to injury, sometimes you just don’t shoot it well, sometimes it’s mental. For me, it was building that confidence back up mentally.

Green shot a career-low 37.6 percent from the field last season and 33.2% from beyond the arc, which makes it the second worst season of his career.

He is looking to put it all behind him and get back to doing what helped the team win a championship.

It’s just the life of a shooter. You can’t think of the last shot or the last game. You’ve got to think about the next one, the next one can change the whole momentum of any game.

Mar 26, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green (14) warms up prior to action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Great shooters never truly stop shooting when they are in slumps. They just keep shooting until they bounce back and that is what Green is hoping for this year.

Coach Gregg Popovich has some sort of comical plan to help Green’s confidence along the way as well, as he explains.

I just beat him up. Beat him up, say, ‘What have you done for us lately? Come on, play better.’ No, he’s going to have a great year. He’s going to have a wonderful year.

After suffering a thigh contusion before the preseason began, Green finally got a chance to participate in practice on Wednesday, and is expected to play in Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Green has come to the realization that the most years on the team behind Ginobili and Parker.

The younger guys will look to him for guidance at times when they don’t know what to do

That first day, I started to realize it. When that first drill hit, and nobody knew what they were doing and they were looking at me like I’m supposed to tell them. I had nothing for them, I tried my best to help, but it’s a new situation for everyone here.

Shooting a solid 42.8 percent from the field in his career, he is excited to get back on the court and and resume what he knows he can already do.

The San Antonio Spurs play against the Atlanta Hawks Saturday October 8th at 8:30 PM ET at AT&T Center in their second preseason game of the year.