Milwaukee Bucks: D.J. Wilson introduced to media in press conference

Having been selected as the 17th overall pick of the NBA Draft on Thursday, new Milwaukee Bucks forward D.J. Wilson was introduced to the media on Monday.

The Milwaukee Bucks introduced D.J. Wilson, their first round pick from last week’s draft, to the media in a press conference on Monday morning.

Wilson was joined at the podium by Bucks general manager and Jon Horst and head coach Jason Kidd.

With the team’s trade for the 46th pick with which Sterling Brown was selected still to be officially announced, Brown wasn’t among those in attendance at the press conference.

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At this point, his status as a Buck will likely remain unconfirmed until July 1 and the start of the new NBA year, as the Philadelphia 76ers are forced to spread out their financial obligations between buying and selling picks. If the Bucks paid $1.5 million or more for the pick, they may also have to consider their own numbers having received $2 million from the Clippers for the 48th pick.

For those looking for a handy explanation of the financial process involved in exchanging picks for cash considerations, Bobby Marks of The Vertical explains it here.

Getting back to the matter at hand, it was revealed that Wilson will wear the no. 5 jersey next season. That number was, of course, most recently worn by Michael Carter-Williams.

The first chance to see Wilson in that number may come at Summer League, but for now, let’s look at some of the quotes from Horst, Kidd and the rookie from Monday’s press conference.

Horst on Wilson’s fit:

"“D.J. is a young man who fits the Bucks’ DNA. We’ve talked a lot about that, with talent, character, his IQ, his skill-set. We think he fits our roster extremely well, and we know the fans here in Milwaukee are going to love him.”"

Horst on tracking Wilson throughout the last few months:

"“We had our eye on D.J. throughout the process, and we were thrilled that he was there for us at 17. This is the guy we wanted, we targeted him.”"

Horst on what appealed about Wilson’s game:

"“We’ve talked a lot in the last few days about position-less basketball. I think part of the reason we drafted D.J. was his versatility. He’s a young man who can play two positions today, and I think at some point he could play three positions. He has tremendous length, tremendous athleticism, and a skill-set that’s going to allow him to get on the floor right now with his ability to shoot the ball. So all of those things amongst others, you know, his high character, his intelligence…those are the reasons.”"

Wilson on his under the radar draft process:

"“I waited until the deadline to make my decision, so with that I only had about three-to-four weeks to the draft. So I just stayed back and followed what my agent, my agency told me to do. Didn’t do any workouts, just had a pro day, and I just went from there."

Wilson on the minimal pre-draft contact with the Bucks:

"“There wasn’t much [contact] at all. I just had a pro day, and like they said they saw me at my pro day, they saw me throughout the year and watched a lot of film, and then I had a real short meeting with them at both pro days.”"

Wilson on how he can help the Bucks right away:

"“Versatility. That’s something I bring to the court on both ends.”"

Kidd on whether there’ll be opportunities for Wilson to play next season:

"“We’re a team where everybody gets a chance to play, everybody gets some minutes, and D.J. will have his opportunities. You know, you look at Thon with what he was able to do for us last season, he was prepared, he worked, and he was rewarded. And I think it will be the same thing for D.J., he’s just got to come in and follow the example of the guys who’ve come in before him. Thon’s a worker, Malcolm’s a worker, and we all know Giannis is a worker.”"

Horst on drafting a player they’d spent less time around:

"“I think the draft process is interesting. Workouts are important, spending time around them is important, but ultimately you’ve watched these guys throughout their entire careers. In between that, we’re spending tremendous amount of time watching them on film or calling former coaches, people from their high school or AAU systems, and we’re getting background intel on them, so we’re building a profile. Those other parts of the process are kind of small parts of the puzzle, important parts of the puzzle, but we felt very confident about the things we were able to accomplish throughout this process that we were getting the right guy.”"

Wilson on how draft night played out for him:

"“I was low-key, I decided to stay home and not go to New York. I spent it with friends and family, there was only about 15 of us just watching on TV, and we all kind of celebrated once I was picked, and I just stayed low-key and chilled for the rest of the night.”"

Wilson on what he needs to improve most on as a pro:

"“I think the most would probably just have to be strength. It’s something that I have been improving going from high school to college, and I know it’s something I’m going to have to do coming from college to the league. I’ve done it before, so I’m confident I can do it again.”"

Kidd on what Wilson can gain from Summer League:

"“I think for D.J. it’s just understanding, he talked about it, his strength. You know, getting physically stronger, and just preparing for a marathon. He’s playing against his peers in Summer League, so for him it’s to do what he does best. And for us, it’s to help him get better at those things, but also the things that could help him get on the floor. He’s a worker, and we won’t have to tell him to shoot the ball, he’s going to shoot it. That’s one of his strengths. But you’re going to see someone who can take a rebound and bring it down. He’s very comfortable with the ball, you could see him starting the offense. Again, we talked about the fit and the DNA, he has a blueprint of Giannis and Thon and Malcolm in front of him. So we’re not going to tell him not to bring the ball up, we want to see him at his best and he can find guys, he can shoot it, but we want him to be a basketball player.”"

Wilson on the prospect of being able to show his skill, in spite of his size, in Milwaukee:

"“It’s definitely exciting. Especially hearing it from coach Kidd. Especially at this level, having the opportunity to do things like that is exciting.”"

Next: Win In 6 Podcast #133: Player option decisions, Herd logo, Summer League

Bucks fans will undoubtedly hear plenty more from Wilson in the future, but for now excitement switches to seeing him on the floor in Las Vegas.

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