Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers recently declared that there is no doubt in his mind that one of the team’s young studs is “absolutely” going to play a key role for the squad moving forward. Coach Doc made his statement as he was talking about second-year guard A.J. Green and rookie Andre Jackson Jr.
Well, based on what we saw from Green during Thursday’s 114-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, it is clear that it’s him who’s going to figure significantly in the rotation moving forward.
Milwaukee Bucks’ A.J. Green Delivers Key Minutes in Win Vs. 76ers
Green did not stuff the stat sheet on Thursday night. That responsibility fell on the shoulders of, as usual, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with a game-high 32 points on 9-of-12 shooting, to go along with 11 rebounds and seven assists.
For his part, Green saw a significant increase in his playing time with Malik Beasley and Khris Middleton both sidelined. Green played a season-high 28 minutes off the bench, and he made sure to make it count.
The 24-year-old logged 14 points on 4-of-8 from the field, three triples, three rebounds, four assists, and zero turnovers. Perhaps even more impressive is the quality defense he put up against Sixers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey.
It seems that this young man has the makings of a legitimate 3-and-D threat for the Bucks.
Green spoke to Melanie Ricks of Bally Sports Wisconsin shortly after the final buzzer. The 6-foot-4 guard sounded off on his and the team’s strong performance against an unrelenting Philly side:
“Yeah, just playing as a team (and) sticking together and trusting for 48 minutes,” he said. “We battled in that second half, it kinda got a little bit tougher. (We got) a little more disciplined at it paid off.”
AJ Automatic made some clutch 3s in the win over the 76ers. He spoke with @MelanieBRicks after the game. 🔊#FearTheDeer | #NBA pic.twitter.com/VzwAwS44gO
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) March 15, 2024
If Beasley and Middleton end up missing more time, we could see more of this from Green in the immediate future.
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