Throughout what has been an eventful stretch to begin the season, Doc Rivers has not been shy in terms of shaking up his rotations.
Along the way, Gary Trent Jr. has moved to the bench after starting, and AJ Green finds himself with the reserves as well after a brief stint starting. Together, these two have formed an eye-catching duo in the second unit, and the Milwaukee Bucks' 125-119 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday showed just how much potential this one-two punch packs.
AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. continue to light it up for the Bucks
Since moving to the bench in general, Gary Trent Jr. has been much better. He's shaken a cold streak that limited him to begin the season, and he seems to only be getting better. Against Charlotte, Trent shot 6-of-8 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from deep, to finish with 16 points. His most important bucket was a clutch mid-range with less than a minute to go to put the Bucks up seven.
Meanwhile, AJ Green provided his own dose of support, sinking three of his four triples en route to a nine-point night. The degree of difficulty on some of Green's shots was eye-popping, as it's clear his confidence is increasing with each passing game due to the opportunity Doc Rivers has given him. It helped that he was also active on the glass, hauling in six rebounds.
When this duo is on the court together, the Milwaukee Bucks have elite spacing, as evidenced by them combining to shoot 7-of-9 from deep in this one. That helps free up Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, who finished with 33 and 31 points, respectively against Charlotte, on offense, allowing them to have more room offensively to attack or kick it out to one of these two.
It's far from surprising that these four have some electric chemistry, and their connection should only continue to grow as the season progresses. It's still very early in the year.
Following the win, the Milwaukee Bucks moved to 8-9 after a 4-0 homestand and climbed to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. They are finding their footing after a slow start, and the support they've gotten from Gary Trent Jr. and AJ Green has played a massive part in that. With a need for spacing and scoring, their importance will not be lessening anytime soon.
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