Kevin Porter Jr.'s return allowed the Milwaukee Bucks to roll out a new starting lineup, but like many of them this season, it's smaller. With Porter and Ryan Rollins in the backcourt, AJ Green finds himself at small forward, a position where he typically guards bigger players. It worked out well in Milwaukee's win over the Brooklyn Nets, but is it sustainable in the long term? That's the question at hand.
Playing undersized has plagued Bucks at times this season
Green has proven that he's a capable starter this season, but the defense has stirred trouble at times. Standing at 6-foot-4, the wing oftentimes finds himself looking up at several of his matchups, who are much taller. Green tries to hound them with his physicality, but it often results in early foul trouble, as evidenced by him having an NBA-leading 24 first-quarter fouls. The next closest has 19.
While he only picked up one total foul against the Nets, they don't have a star small forward leading the charge, with all due respect. The true test will come when the Milwaukee Bucks face players like Jimmy Butler III, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Johnson, and more. If Green, who has always been underrated defensively, can hold up, great. If the fouls persist, the cracks in this lineup might start to show.
For now, the Milwaukee Bucks are sticking with it, mainly because they don't have any other options. Taurean Prince is out due to neck surgery. Kyle Kuzma plays much better off the bench. Gary Trent Jr. has a case, but he's been sluggish lately. Amir Coffey won't be getting any burn as a starter. Green is the clear choice unless the team plans on making a move to bring in reinforcements.
Again, it was against the 3-16 Nets, who were without two of their best players in Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas, but this lineup showed promise. The backcourt of Porter and Rollins provided an excellent two-way jolt. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner made the most of their limited time on both ends. AJ Green rounded it out with five made triples due to all of the space he had to fire.
If Green can hold his own at the three as he did in this particular matchup, this five-man unit has all of the potential in the world to succeed. After spending much of the season sorting through countless different lineups, the Bucks would love to nail one and stick with it.
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