Rivers shared some encouraging news following Wednesday's practice.
Sharpshooter AJ Green took a big step forward in his recovery from a shoulder injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the past three games, and head coach Doc Rivers was cautiously optimistic about his return to the rotation.
Green Makes Progress at Practice
"He went most of practice, so it was good," Rivers said of Green after Wednesday's session. "In and out, so not the whole practice, but he had a pretty good practice."
The update marks a notable improvement for Green, who was only a limited participant in Tuesday's practice after being sidelined since suffering an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder on December 5th against the Philadelphia 76ers.
"He practiced a little bit. We'll see. Practiced probably the first 15 minutes, then we took him off the floor, so we'll see how it goes," Rivers continued.
Green absorbed a hard hit while trying to navigate around a screen set by 76ers center Andre Drummond, and he was ruled out at halftime with what the team initially called a shoulder contusion.
Bucks Could Use Green's Shooting
Milwaukee has missed Green's elite three-point shooting during his absence, as the 26-year-old had been having a career year before the injury.
He was averaging 11.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting an impressive 48.5 percent from beyond the arc on the season.
The Bucks sit at 11-16 and in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, having lost 11 of their last 14 games during a brutal stretch that has been made worse by injuries.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo remains out with a calf strain he suffered in early December, and his absence has left the team searching for consistent scoring and playmaking.
Without Green and Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have leaned heavily on Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., and Kevin Porter Jr. to carry the offensive load.
The results have been mixed, with the team suffering a 45-point blowout loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday before getting a few days off to regroup.
Looking Ahead to Thursday
The Bucks will host the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night at Fiserv Forum, and Green's status for that game remains to be seen.
His increased participation in Wednesday's practice is a good sign that he could be available, but the team has been cautious with his recovery given how important he is to their spacing and perimeter shooting.
Getting Green back would provide a much-needed boost for a Milwaukee team that is trying to stay afloat in the playoff race while waiting for Antetokounmpo to return.