The Milwaukee Bucks have found an incredible role player taking a leap this season.
With the Bucks being 6-9 on the season, they’re beginning to bounce back after an abysmal start to the new year. They’ve won four of their last five games, and they’d argue they should have five straight wins. However, they can’t control a last-second call from the refs, but they’ve still seemingly turned a corner as of late.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing to an MVP level, with Damian Lillard ramping up his form to help out the superstar. Those two clicking is a must if Doc Rivers’ squad is going to make any sort of noise this season.
Antetokounmpo, however, shared high praise for one role player after the team’s 122-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
In the game, AJ Green was quite sharp, nailing five of his seven 3-point attempts and scored 18 points en route to the big win. He’s a known sharpshooter, though he’s seemingly taking strides in one particular aspect of his game this year.
After the game, Antetokounmpo took note of his incredible growth on that end of the floor, even detailing some of the improvements.
“His defense is incredible,” Antetokounmpo said. “…He’s been playing great. He’s staying down, he’s using his body very well. I think two years ago, he will get himself in foul trouble, he will use his hands a lot. Maybe jump a little bit at the pump fake.
“…Now he’s just solid. He moves his feet so well. Puts his body so well. Man, he’s an underrated defender. In my opinion, is a really good defender. He shows it in practice, he shows it in game. I’m
With Green being a sharpshooter, having a consistent defensive performance from him would be huge for the team. The Bucks are in need of a huge spark, and they might just be getting that from the Northern Iowa product.
Green is shooting 49% on 3-pointers with 2.4 makes per game this season.
The Bucks’ roster is well-constructed. The trio of Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Khris Middleton is a strong one — though they need Middleton to return from his injury to prove such. Doc Rivers might not be the best head coach, but he’s won plenty of games with different clubs, with the most popular being his championship win with the Boston Celtics in 2008.
Antetokounmpo is playing some elite basketball as of late, but how he gets Lillard going and how the two play off each other will determine the team’s ceiling this year. Middleton will have to compliment those two, with the rest of the core finding their groove around the trio.
After starting the season 1-6 and losing six straight games following their season opener, the season looked lost for Milwaukee. Continuing their current run could turn things around in a significant as Antetokounmpo is in his prime at the moment.
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