Saturday, April 19, sees the Milwaukee Bucks-Indiana Pacers rivalry reignite. Last year, the series went six games in favor of the Pacers; this year is set to be even better.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is fully healthy this year, Damian Lillard looks set to be back on the court this series and the Bucks are on an eight-game win streak. There are many reasons for the team to be confident, one of which is that wing AJ Green has found his groove down the stretch.
AJ Green can follow the path of Pat Connaughton
Veteran Pat Connaughton has only featured in 41 games this season and has found himself further down the bench, but he was a huge part of the team's 2021 championship success. He laid the blueprint for Green to follow in this year's playoffs.
Green struggled in last season's series with the Pacers. He averaged 11 minutes per game, but only averaged 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds, and his 3-point shooting was down at 18.2 percent.
Connaughton was similar before the 2021 playoffs. The veteran struggled to make an impact when it mattered, and many questioned whether he should stick around. "Playoff Pat" then took off in the 2020-21 playoffs and was a huge reason for the Milwaukee Bucks winning a ring.
It has been a rollercoaster season for Green. There have been plenty of ups and downs, but overall, he has taken huge strides from the two-way player we saw first step on court with the Bucks jersey on. He ended the regular season averaging 7.4 points and shooting 42.7 percent from deep.
During the eight-game win streak to round out the regular season, Green was a huge part of it, and the lineup with him alongside Giannis, Gary Trent Jr., and Kevin Porter Jr. saw the best of them all. He played the last seven games, where he averaged eight points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists on shooting splits of .500/.567/.667.
We know that he is a specialist shooter, so he has to bring that, but he also has to bring defensive intensity. The reason the lineup worked so well was due to the team zoning up and using their athleticism and versatility to their advantage. Indiana plays at such a high intensity that at points, the Milwaukee Bucks will have to match that. Green will be key for that reason, too.
Hopefully, we can see him have a much better postseason, and he could be a real X-factor off the bench as the Pacers' defense looks to collapse on Giannis. Green is in his groove right now, and we will find out whether he can keep that up starting on Saturday.
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