As the biggest AJ Green fan on the Brew Hoop staff, I get the privilege of writing his Ranking The Roster piece every season. Last year, I said people needed to buy their AJ Green stocks now, as they would only grow in value, and boy, did they skyrocket. Green again improved from last year’s ranking, where fans voted him 9th, and even that seems low and insulting 12 months later after last season’s breakout. He takes 6th this year.
Last year, Green saw a career high in all statistical areas. He finished
last season playing in 73 games, starting seven of them, scoring 7.4 PPG and shooting 42.7% from three. Green played in all five games of the playoffs last spring and notched 11 PPG, shooting a blistering 51.4% from three.
It was going to be intriguing to see if Green was only going to get rotation minutes because of injuries to other veterans. Still, Doc Rivers decided to play Green ahead of other young players, Andre Jackson Jr., and veteran Pat Connaughton. With Khris Middleton’s departure, Green stepped in and filled the role of sharpshooter alongside Gary Trent Jr. Who would have thought that in a do-or-die Game 5, Green was going to be heavily relied on to try and save Milwaukee’s season? Though he had a sloppy end to that game, this was an overall great season for Dairy Bird.
Next season will be a big test; he no longer will fly under the radar in the scouting report, and that could result in tighter coverage and a slight dip in his shooting numbers. Green isn’t a terrible defender, but the Bucks will need improvement from him, especially in terms of his fouling and team defense. These are small things, but Green is firmly established as a reliable rotation player for the Milwaukee Bucks, as I always knew he could be.
We begin the top five next. Check back tomorrow for a preview of who wins fifth.
