This summer was busier than last for Josh Green. But in year two, he's betting on his improvement to vault him into the regular rotation.

The catalyst for the busy summer was Green's time spent with the Australian national team in the Olympics. He didn't play much, but that didn't mean he wasn't working on every aspect of his game.

"Even though I wasn't playing that much, I was able to get in the gym a lot. I was able to lift as much as I wanted to," Green said. "I was putting in more work than I would usually do. Having conversations with older guys, Patty Mills and Joe Ingles, I was able to learn so much.

"Overall, I was putting in more than enough work to make sure that I was ready to go."

A lost offseason is no excuse for Green

This summer was a nice change of pace from Green's 2020 offseason. Due to the pandemic, he missed out on the NBA Summer League and played through a truncated training camp, never fully capturing his barring in the league until late in his rookie year.

Still, he doesn't look at those missed 2020 opportunities as an excuse, he said. Though his rookie year was a collection of successes, failures and missed opportunities, he's proud that he carved out a spot in the rotation by the season's end. Green's successes showcased to himself and those watching that he is committed to improvement, regardless of the circumstances.

"Everyone's year was kinda messed up," Green said. "For me, I can look at it like that. But at the same time, I could just build off of it and look at it as a head start to this year."

How Green sees himself improving

Green aims to build off of the new opportunity in front of him, he said. The new coaching staff has granted a breath of life into members of Dallas' training camp roster. Players have lauded the open lines of communication. Kidd described the first practices as energy-filled. And players aren't wasting a great opportunity to leave a good impression on a coach that hasn't predetermined their role within the rotation.

Green aims to simply do more of what he's good at and retain confidence in his ability to affect the team in positive ways.

"My biggest thing is coming in with confidence by knowing what I can do to help the team," Green said. "I just want to come in and give it my all… I am ready to go."

From Green's perspective, Kidd's practice style is conducive to development. The phrase he uses to describe practices under Kidd is "extremely competitive."

However, he recognizes competition isn't bad. In fact, it may help him become the best player he can be.

"It is one of the most fun practices I've been a part of," Green said. "Everyone was together and moving the ball. It is always fun to be a part of that. Overall, it's a great vibe."

With improvement in mind, Green's second season in the NBA promises to be one with successes as well as growing pains, but he knows it is going somewhere positive.

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Feature image via Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports