Milwaukee Bucks: Bidding farewell to John Henson

With his six year-plus stint as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks having officially come to a close Friday night, we reflect on the highs and lows of John Henson‘s time in Milwaukee.

Both on and off the court, there have been been plenty of changes surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks for the greater part of this decade.

Ranging from a change in ownership, to questions about relocation and the long-term future of the organization, to now playing in a state of the art arena in Fiserv Forum, the standing of the Bucks has arguably never been healthier in its 51 years of existence after hitting rock bottom just a few years ago.

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Now the Bucks are pinning their hopes on the high profile hiring of head coach Mike Budenholzer to be the final piece of the puzzle that ensures them experiencing success on the court to finally shed their long-standing inconsistencies.

Through it all, though, one player had outlasted all of the changes and saw all the pains and ensuing rebirth of a long marginalized franchise, that being veteran big man John Henson. Now after being included in a three-team deal this Friday night that saw him dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Matthew Dellavedova, Henson’s time in Milwaukee has finally come to an end after six-plus seasons.

Admittedly, Henson will be far from the first figure fans think of when we reflect on this era of Bucks basketball in the coming years. That will be left for the likes of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jason Kidd and others.

Does that speak to the various inconsistencies and unfortunate stumbles that Henson could never fully overcome throughout his time wearing a Bucks uniform? Perhaps so.

After all, it almost felt like Henson was snakebitten with the many struggles and various injuries he experienced over the years in Milwaukee, with his torn wrist ligament injury from this season being the latest example. Henson being out of favor under former head coaches in Scott Skiles and Jason Kidd at times only added to the hurdles he had to clear just to see the court in hopes of establishing some consistency.

All of that isn’t to say there weren’t bright spots for the 14th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Above all else, Henson stood as a worthwhile rim protector when at his most effective, and his 600 total blocks ranks him fourth all-time in franchise history behind Andrew Bogut (642), Harvey Catchings (709) and Alton Lister (804).

While Henson’s skills offensively were limited and were more traditional (i.e. setting screens, diving to the rim as a roll man), Henson’s trusty left hook shot and newfound three-point shooting ability during his brief stint under Budenholzer always elicited plenty of fanfare when he put down buckets.

And who can forget the memorable on-court skirmishes Henson had, first against veteran guard Aaron Brooks during the Bucks’ playoff series against the Chicago Bulls in 2015 as well as against veteran forward and perennial pot stirrer Matt Barnes during a home contest on St. Patrick’s Day in 2016 (the latter being a top-10 Bucks game in the three-plus years I’ve been writing about the team, if I could interject).

Perhaps more importantly than anything the 27-year-old accomplished on the court, Henson’s jovial, fun loving personality shined through thick and thin, both individually and in terms of the team’s success and/or struggles.

Not only that, but Henson’s active participation in community and charity ventures as well as his overall embrace of the city of Milwaukee wasn’t lost on any Bucks or Wisconsin sports fan, especially at a time when not many Bucks players shared the same sentiment. We only have to look at Henson’s excitement and involvement during the Milwaukee Brewers’ postseason run this fall as an example of that.

The way in which Henson championed his team, his teammates and the city to which he called home for six-and-a-half years, his first as a professional, may stand as his defining trait as not just a player, but as a person. Middleton summed it all up best when asked about Henson’s departure following the Bucks’ loss to the Golden State Warriors Friday night as Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relayed:

"“John, everybody knows he’s one of my closest friends here,” Middleton said. “One of the first guys I met when I came here. The things he did for this organization, how he was always a professional, we’re going to miss him.”"

With all of that considered, all there is left to say is farewell, J-Hook, and on behalf of all Bucks fans everywhere, we wish you nothing but the best in Cleveland and beyond.