Australia's age-old frailties against the turning ball were brought back to the fore again on Saturday in Cape Town, as Simon Harmer's 6-16 ripped the heart out of the tourists.
Green found himself largely at the centre of the problem, never looking comfortable against the offspinner before being bowled by him in the collapse to all out for 111.
With Australia giving up on victory and knocking back singles after lunch, Pat Cummins faced 30 straight balls from Harmer before the Proteas swapped the spinner to the other end.
The sight of Harmer then bowling Green with his first ball back at him was one of the enduring images of day five, with the West Australian using his feet and almost yorking himself.
Cummins insisted afterwards that he and Mitchell Starc had not been shielding Green from spin, but rather Green was protecting them from facing the quicks.
Even still, Green's 13 balls facing Harmer resulted in two edges, one dropped catch, two runs and a dismissal.
"He's a good player of spin. He's got good reach. He's able to sweep. He's able to use his feet as well in amongst all that reach," McDonald said.
"So I'm very confident that whatever challenges he comes up against in whatever conditions, that he will be able to succeed."
Green scored a century on a flat Ahmedabad wicket in India in 2023, while arguably the best innings of his career was a 77 on ragging Galle pitch in 2022.
"If I take it back to Galle where he got that 70-odd in extreme conditions, you probably have a different game plan and method there," McDonald said.
"This scenario shifted him into a draw mentality (in Cape Town). He wasn't able to get into a rhythm against Harmer."
Green looks a natural fit for Australia at No.4 once Steve Smith retires, after batting well there in the first innings last week.
Australia expect to have Smith back for the first home Test against New Zealand in December, after he was unable to beat a neck injury for Cape Town.
Smith had the toughest tour of his career in South Africa, failing to reach 30 in any innings, but McDonald said he had seen no signs of the 37-year-old being ready to walk away.
The vice-captain has continually refused to guarantee his long-term future, instead having often spoken of taking his cricket on a series-by-series basis.
"Yes, I've got no knowledge to the counter of that," McDonald said when asked if he was confident Smith wanted to keep playing Test cricket.
"We are planning him to play against New Zealand in Perth.
"There will be Shield cricket, there's opportunities for him. He'll be well prepared."
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