Before I start my argument, I’m going to give a glimpse into who AJ Green is and what role he plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Who is Milwaukee Bucks guard A.J. Green?
A.J. Green was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and went to college at the University of Northern Iowa. After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, Green signed a two-way contract with the Bucks and played on their Summer League team this past summer.
Green has not had a large role with this being a veteran-laden team. Green only plays in mop-up duty and when either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jrue Holiday misses games due to illnesses, load management, and injuries. Most of the time, Green serves as the end-of-the-bench role along with Thansis Antetokounmpo and Sandro “Mamu” Mamukelashvili.
Does A.J. Green deserve more playing time for the Milwaukee Bucks?
First, it’s important to note that players on a two-way deal can suit up for 50 out of a team’s 82 regular season games, per Hoops Rumors. For Green to become a part of the team’s rotation, the Bucks would have to convert his two-way contract into a one-year deal, which rarely happens. Green could become the anomaly. In 19 games so far, he is shooting 42.6 percent from three and hitting 49.2 percent of his field goals.
Milwaukee has struggled shooting the basketball from three this season, knocking in only 34.7 percent of their shots. Adding another shooter like Green to the mix would help this team because Pat Connaughton and Grayson Allen have struggled in that area this season. Head Coach Mike Budenholzer has seen the value in Green as he’s played in seven of the team’s last eight games. It’s been a while since Milwaukee signed a true sharpshooter. If you remember, the Bucks signed Kyle Korver in July 2019, but he was 37 by then, and his best NBA days were behind him.
So far, Coach Budenholzer has been putting him into the game and giving him at least 15-20 minutes. That’s perfect because if shooters like Jevon Carter, Connaughton, MarJon Beauchamp, or Allen aren’t playing well, Budenholzer can put in Green for a stretch and see what happens.
Green is averaging 4.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. It will be tough for Green to find consistent minutes because two-way players split their time between the G-League and the active roster. Two-way players who have played in Milwaukee have had a tougher time carving out a role for this team, but Lindell Wigginton, who played for the Bucks last season, played in 19 games as a two-way player. With this being a championship-driven team, Milwaukee will make the playoffs and a playoff series is determined by x-factors. Giving AJ Green an extra look to help their 3-point shooting would help this team in the next few months.
Green has been stringing together some solid performances. In Thursday’s game against the Miami Heat, Green had 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 19 minutes of action. In last Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, Green scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three. Green’s shooting acumen has earned him more minutes in the rotation, and I hope that he can be a solid contributor to this team.
Green should get more playing time for the Bucks because he’s shooting the ball well from three, and Milwaukee needs help in that area. Green is a player who can space the floor and help guys like Antetokounmpo, Holiday, and Khris Middleton when he comes back to give them an outlet when most of the defense is focused on them.
Green can be an x-factor for this team, and we’ll see if that happens the rest of the way.
Stay tuned to see if Green can carve out a role for himself.