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Milwaukee Bucks: Checking in on the progress of D.J. Wilson

By Josh Cornelissen

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images /
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The Milwaukee Bucks selected forward D.J. Wilson in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft. How has his rookie season gone thus far?

The Milwaukee Bucks have found success in recent seasons in going after long, athletic players with upside on both ends of the floor. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the prime example, but players such as Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon and Tony Snell have flourished in Milwaukee. D.J. Wilson was the latest addition in that mold.

At 6’10” with a 7’3″ wingspan, Wilson fits the size of a power forward, and he displayed a skill-set during his junior season at Michigan indicative of an NBA stretch-4. With defensive versatility as well — Wilson averaged 1.5 blocks per game in his final college season — his profile screamed “Bucks,” and it made sense that he would be selected by this organization.

For a team trying to infuse its bench with youth, Wilson seemed like a solid option. While he did slot in at Milwaukee’s most crowded position, power forward, the opportunity to fill minutes was there with Jabari Parker sidelined for much of the season.

However, while the Bucks have struggled with injuries across the board and have needed production at the 4, Wilson has been unable to provide meaningful contributions. He has appeared in just 21 games, totaling 69 minutes altogether, and has spent most of his time riding the pine or playing in Oshkosh.

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When he has played with the Bucks, his minutes tend to be in garbage time. According to Cleaning the Glass, which filters out garbage time from their stats, Wilson has played just 29 of his minutes this season when the game was still in question. No lineup containing Wilson has reached even 15 possessions thus far this season.

His efficiency has been fine, hitting eight of 14 shots shots (57 percent) overall and 2-for-5 from long range, but his usage has been in the basement, meaning when he does play he rarely handles or shoots. Of players in the league with at least 69 minutes played, only Chicago point guard Ryan Arcidiacono has taken fewer shots (12).

In part due to his inability to make an NBA impact, Wilson has spent much of the season practicing and suiting up for the Wisconsin Herd. He has appeared in 11 games thus far, averaging 32.5 minutes per game. Wilson averages 15.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and 34 percent from 3-point range. He is a quirky 11-for-11 from the free throw line.

As far as G League numbers for a first round pick go, those are fairly pedestrian. While other recent picks have struggled in the developmental league, those players have tended to be either rehabbing an injury or are in the process of flaming out of the league. First-rounders on track for success tend to dominate the sub-NBA level of talent in the G League.

This does not necessarily mean Wilson is on track to be a bust; he could certainly be a work-in-progress. When he was drafted it was expected that he would be more of a project, and that Milwaukee was swinging for long-term upside rather than immediate gratification.

But even with projects there tend to be some early sparks. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the epitome of a project, coming into the league all long limbs and no polish, and he appeared in 77 games. Thon Maker was a supposed project — honestly he still is — and yet he started 40 games for the Bucks last season, including the postseason. Wilson has not shown any of those signs of NBA-level competence.

When Wilson was drafted, I wrote a piece detailing five reasons why Wilson was a bad pick for the Bucks. Those reasons were:

  1. Wilson was a one-hit wonder at Michigan
  2. A tantalizing skillset doesn’t equal production
  3. Players drafted after him were blowing up NBA Summer League
  4. The team was loaded at power forward
  5. They needed a knockdown shooter on the wing more

Eight months later, all of those reasons still hold water. Wilson totaled just 72 points over his first two seasons at Michigan before taking a leap forward in his junior year; thus far he has just 19 NBA points with less than a month to go. His tantalizing skill-set has failed the provide any real production for a Bucks team open to more bench help.

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From Milwaukee’s side of things, the long-term injury to Mirza Teletovic, the recovery of Jabari Parker and the trading of Greg Monroe equaled a lack of bodies in the frontcourt, but Wilson was unable to crack the rotation. With Parker back now, Milwaukee has all 48 minutes sewn up between Parker and Antetokounmpo. The need for shooting still exists, however, especially with Malcolm Brogdon missing significant time.

Finally, players across the first round have put up better numbers than Wilson, from forwards such as Kyle Kuzma and OG Anunoby to guards in Terrance Ferguson or Josh Hart. Even center, a position where the Bucks thought they were set up, has seen strong rookie performances from Jarrett Allen or Jordan Bell.

This all combines to show that Wilson has not yet made a return on the investment Milwaukee made in him. In fact, his contributions have been minimal at best and completely meaningless at worst. His hope for the future is not extinguished, but it is flickering.

With a likely new coach this summer, the organization will be hoping Wilson’s trajectory can be changed in a positive direction. One day Wilson will most likely be a rotation player, but can he be a star? That seems unlikely at this point, but not impossible. It will be up to Wilson to choose the path he wants to take.

Next: 2017-18 Week 23 NBA Power Rankings

Wilson is in the end one player, and is not an indictment on unicorns, March Madness success or the Bucks’ inability to develop talent. Unless he can turn things around though, it may be difficult to get a second chance with the Milwaukee Bucks. The last month of this season and all of next season will be crucial in setting his path.

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