1. AJ Green
During Adrian Griffin's tenure as head coach of the Bucks, guard AJ Green rarely stepped foot on the court despite impressing during his stint as a two-way player last season. Since the All-Star break, Green has seen his minutes increase under Rivers and has contributed massively to the improvement in the contributions from the bench unit.
Green has played in 14 of Rivers' 17 games in charge and is averaging 13.7 minutes per game, hitting the 20-minute mark on three occasions. Under Griffin, he never hit the 20-minute mark once and averaged just 7.5 minutes per game and 3.3 points. That has increased to 6.4 points on 40.7 percent shooting from deep and taking 4.2 attempts beyond the arc per game.
AJ Green is always ready for the moment! pic.twitter.com/c2sukhNyG3
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) March 7, 2024
One huge improvement his game has seen has come on the defensive end. He doesn't fill the box score with steals or blocks, but he has massively improved just in terms of shot contesting and being able to stay in front of his opponent, something he struggled with last season.
It is clear that Rivers has trust in Green, and the sharpshooter is not letting him down. If he keeps it up down the stretch, then he may see an even more prominent role off the bench and be a big contributor in the playoffs. With Malik Beasley hitting just two of his last 20 3-pointers, Green could be one to take advantage and be given some of those minutes Beasley sees on the court.
Green is under contract for the next two seasons, but the money is non-guaranteed, so he is still playing for his place on the team next season. I think he has shown enough already to keep him around as a cheap specialist option that can still be impactful.