NEW YORK — Gerald Green’s nomadic pro basketball career has taken him to China and Russia and onto the rosters of eight NBA teams and three D-League squads.
Through it all, his most impressive stop was his two-year stint with the Phoenix Suns. In 2013-14, Green averaged a career-high 15.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while making 40 percent of his 3-point attempts. He averaged 11.9 points per game the following season.
“Gerald can really put the ball in the hole,’’ said Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek, who coached Green during both of his seasons in Phoenix. “He can shoot the ball. Obviously, he’s got great athleticism. He’s a guy that can get on fire. There were games where he was just shooting balls in from 35 feet out. When he gets hot, you’ve got to watch out for him. So Gerald’s a very good player. I think a lot of stuff that Boston runs looks like stuff we were running in Phoenix, so he should fit right in.’’
Green, in turn, credits Hornacek for much of his success with the Suns. He said Hornacek gave him confidence, adding that Hornacek had a tremendous relationship with all of his players.
“He allowed me to play,’’ Green said. “He allowed me to do certain things that a lot of coaches didn’t do. He trusted me to do things from the get-go. We were always sitting down and talking. He was always trying to pick my brain. He was a shooter, too, so that was a good thing that he could tell me what got him open and what he saw. That really helped me out.’’
Last season Green signed with the Heat and Hornacek was fired by the Suns, and Green insists that his former coach should never have been let go.
In July, Green signed a one-year deal with the Celtics for the veteran’s minimum of about $1.4 million. It is quite likely that he will make Boston’s final roster, but he said he still wants to prove that he belongs. The 6-foot-7-inch wing missed the Celtics’ first two preseason games with a strained hip flexor, and he said he is still about two weeks from being fully healthy.
“I think by the time right after the regular season starts, I should be fine,’’ Green said.
Hunter leads the way
R.J. Hunter stood in the bowels of Madison Square Garden and spoke to reporters after scoring 17 points in just 12 minutes in the Celtics’ 119-107 preseason win over the Knicks on Saturday. As he was completing a thought about the importance of getting playing time to find a rhythm, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge called to him from down a corridor.
“The bus will leave without you, R.J.,’’ Ainge said.
Ainge was joking, and Hunter smiled. He said Ainge is constantly pestering him, but he is also dispensing advice. And on Saturday, the guidance was simple.
“He told me just hit somebody first,’’ Hunter said. “I think it’s because he knows it’s hard to sit for three quarters and come in, so I think come in and be physical was his message.’’
Hunter is among a small group of players trying to claim the Celtics’ final roster spot, so there is added urgency for him during this exhibition slate. His fate will not depend on whether he makes shots in preseason games, but it can’t hurt.
“I think I got good looks and was just focused on every shot, I feel like,’’ Hunter said.
Avery Bradley had 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and the rookie point guard Demetrius Jackson had 10 points and six assists. The Celtics’ starters continued their strong preseason, led by Al Horford, as he and Bradley combined to make their first seven shots.
With less than five minutes left in the second quarter, Horford hit a pair of open 3-pointers just 45 seconds apart, with the Knicks apparently unaware or unconcerned that he added this skill to his game last season. In the final two minutes Crowder hit two and Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart made one apiece, as Boston went to halftime with a 59-50 lead.
“I thought we had some really good moments at the end of the first half,’’ Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.
The starters sat for the rest of the game and the Celtics’ second string stretched the lead to as many as 17 points in the third quarter before the Knicks surged back in the fourth, mostly against Boston’s third string.
A 13-footer by MauriceNdour pulled New York within 98-97, but with 5:48 left Hunter beat the shot clock on a strong drive as he was fouled. Hunter then caught fire, pouring in 14 points over the next four minutes, as the Celtics pulled away. “It’s huge,’’ Hunter said, “but I can’t get overconfident.’’
Ready to go
When the Cavaliers traveled to Chicago to play the Bulls in a preseason game on Friday, they left the top nine players in their rotation at home to rest. Although that was an extreme example, it has become increasingly common for teams to combat the lengthy preseason schedule by holding out their best players.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens has limited his starters’ minutes, but the whole group played against the Knicks on Saturday, two nights after appearing in a game against the Nets. Stevens said that decision was based on the approach at recent practices. At Friday’s workout, Boston mostly reviewed some concepts while avoiding full-contact play. Afterward, Thomas, Jae Crowder, Green, and Smart started an impromptu one-on-one tournament, and Stevens thought that showed that their energy level was high.
“I feel good about the conditioning of our players and we’ve monitored all that pretty closely and it’s been a good, hard week of work,’’ Stevens said. “Sometimes we practice hard before the exhibition games and worry more about that, and sometimes, like today [against the Knicks] will be a big part of our conditioning for the last two days.’’
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.
