D(efensive). J(uggernaut).?
As D.J. Wilson continues to surprise and impress with his impact and newfound role on the team, it’s been the second year big’s defense that has really captured the imagination of Bucks fans.
Wilson has held his own, and even excelled in bursts, in matchups with Anthony Davis and Blake Griffin over the past week, and still he saved some of his most impressive defense for Saturday night.
After the Bucks opened the game with an eight-point first quarter, they were able to claw their way to an unlikely halftime lead thanks to limiting Miami to just 16 points of their own in the second period.
Wilson was the clear driving force of that run, spending the entire quarter frantically switching across different assignments, and channeling his length, verticality and lateral quickness to shut the Heat down.
This was best captured by what’s likely the single best individual defensive possession of the Bucks’ season. You probably noticed it during the game, or you may have seen it as it was excitedly shared around Bucks Twitter, but trust me, it’s worth checking out again.
Picking up each of James Johnson, Rodney McGruder and Bam Adebayo in a 20-second span, Wilson was alive to all danger around him, never switched off for even a moment, and demonstrated his ability to both hold his own against bruisers inside, and switch out on to quick wings on the perimeter.
Following Ilyasova’s nose surgery, Wilson will have continued opportunity, but based on recent evidence, he has all the tools to keep increasing the size of his long-term role in the weeks ahead.