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Danny Green drops 28 points, passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most ever in a Lakers debut

Ryan Young
·Staff writer

Danny Green didn’t waste any time in his Los Angeles Lakers debut.

Green dropped a team-high 28 points and seven rebounds while shooting an impressive 7-of-9 from the 3-point line in the Lakers’ 112-102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center on Tuesday night. His stellar performance set a Lakers franchise record, too, passing basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points scored in a Lakers debut.

Nearly all of Green’s points came in the second half, too. The 32-year-old was a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc in the third quarter alone, sparking a massive 15-0 run late in the third quarter to pull the Lakers out of a 14-point hole.

Green was, without a doubt, one of the biggest reasons the Clippers didn’t completely run away with the game in the second half.

“With the talent around him, he’s going to get a lot of open looks,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said, via Spectrum SportsNet. “But he was also very aggressive in his action. We’re not just using him to spot up in the corner. We’re bringing him off screens. He was very aggressive in transition and using screens like we talked about, and he had a terrific night.”

Green signed a two-year, $30 million deal with the Lakers this summer after just one year with the Raptors — where he averaged 10.3 points and four rebounds per game while helping Toronto to its first ever NBA title. Those 10.3 points per game marked his third-highest throughout his decade-long career in the league, and his highest output since the 2014-15 season.

Green wasn’t the only one scoring for the Lakers on Tuesday night, though it was close. Anthony Davis put up 25 points and 10 rebounds in his Lakers debut, and LeBron James had a near-triple-double — finishing the night with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Those three were the only Lakers players to score in double figures. They had just 19 bench points, too, compared to a whopping 60 by the Clippers.

The Lakers, clearly, need a bit more help offensively if they hope to live up to their championship expectations. But if Green can put up numbers like he did on Tuesday night more frequently — and continue to be the shooter the Lakers need to compliment James and Davis — that will certainly be a great start.

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