Bucks find unlikely defensive stopper in 'Dairy Bird'
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Assessing his team's defensive effort in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 122-106 win against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, Doc Rivers singled one player out. No, not two-time Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo. Or Brook Lopez, who's second in the NBA in blocks per game.
"I thought he did the best job of any of our guys in denying dribble drives without fouling,” Rivers said of… AJ Green.
The second-year 3-point specialist out of Northern Iowa certainly doesn't look the part. But for the second straight game, Green got it done on both ends, scoring 18 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. He also led the team at +22.
Antetokounmpo echoed his coach’s assessment. He’s caught himself calling out switches when Green is guarding players who used to be able to have their way with him. This season, he can hold his own, and Antetokounmpo finds himself trusting Green no matter the matchup.
“He’s an underrated defender,” he said after Wednesday’s game. “He’s one of our better defenders on the team.” Rivers credited Green's unlikely path to defensive stalwart to offseason work studying the team's defensive schemes, especially off-ball positioning.
"It's wonderful," Rivers said. "He's been fantastic."
Green has gotten significantly more playing time as the team works to patch together winning lineups without All-Star forward Khris Middleton, who hasn’t played this season due to lingering ankle injuries, and former starter Pat Connaughton, who Rivers has sat the last two games. In October, Green averaged just seven minutes a game. In November, he’s played an average of 24 minutes a game.
Superstar Damian Lillard also noticed Green's defensive chops.
“Everybody might be surprised because he’s a 6-3 white guy," Lillard said after Monday's win over the Houston Rockets. "But I mean, if you look at him physically he’s strong, he moves well.”
The Bucks, who've gone 4-1 in their last 5 games after a 2-8 start, hope that Green keeps getting targeted defensively.
"I hope they don't figure that one out," Rivers said on Wednesday. "We're good with that. That helps us out.”
The Bucks are back in action against the Indiana Pacers at home on Friday night.
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