Report predicts AJ Green will be a pleasant surprise for the Milwaukee Bucks this season
On a team like the Milwaukee Bucks, three-point shooting is a premium. With superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo barrelling down the lane and attracting incredible defensive attention, a reliable shooter on the perimeter is necessary to garner open looks. Enter A.J. Green, a sophomore sniper who could be one of the team's most pleasant surprises this season.
Pure shooter
Although the team already has All-Stars Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday and the newly-acquired Malik Beasley, the Bucks are poised to supplement their shooting arsenal with Green, the University of Northern Iowa product whom the team gave a standard contract to in the offseason. This move implies the Bucks have faith in Green’s ability to contribute this coming season.
“The Bucks never found many minutes for Green last season, but they still saw enough to graduate him from a two-way deal to a standard contract that features two (non-guaranteed) seasons after this one. That indicates Milwaukee will give him a shot to crack the regular rotation and that it thinks he could have some staying power in it,” Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report wrote.
Green played in just 35 games last season, averaging 4.4 points. However, he showed a pure stroke, making five threes each in games versus the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls.
Optimal spacing
Green possesses what the Bucks require. With that being said, incorporating AJ into the rotation would prove advantageous for the Bucks. His on-court presence would provide Giannis with the necessary spacing to unleash his offensive prowess and inflict maximum damage.
“He is limited defensively and struggles to separate off the dribble, but his shot alone could net him a nightly role given Milwaukee's need to create optimal spacing around Giannis Antetokounmpo,” Buckley added.