Doc Rivers on AJ Green: "He's showing me he's a tough kid"

AJ shone on both ends of the floor

Besides showing his ability to score, Rivers was also pleased with how Green stood his ground on the defensive end.

"They tried to target him, and he held his own defensively. AJ's showing me that he's a tough kid like he's not just going to wilt, and I like that," Rivers said.

Rivers even let Green play in the fourth quarter, and when asked what message he tried to convey by the sudden increase of playing time for the seldom-used guard, he replied: "Nothing. Be AJ. Be yourself, shoot the ball."

Even if Green took some bad shots, Rivers would still want to see him take more shots in future games.

"First one was a good one. I thought he had the one where he took two dribbles, that was the one that was early, and probably shouldn't have taken it. Having said that, I don't mind him taking that. I want him to be aggressive," said Rivers.

AJ to get more freedom under Doc

Rivers pointed out that he wants to give Green more freedom when he is on the court, just like he did during his time with top sixth man Jamal Crawford.

"It's like coaching Jamal Crawford. 'Jamal, we're going to put you in. We want you to be a great offensive player.' And so you got to give them the freedom to be that otherwise, you're choking what they do," said Doc.

Green, who went undrafted in 2022, has only played 30 games this season with no starts. He is averaging 3.6 points in a measly 7.9 minutes of playing time per game. AJ may not have produced eye-popping numbers when his playing time tripled on Sunday, but he certainly got his coach's attention.

"I was fine with the way he played, and I thought he showed a lot of toughness," Rivers said.