Wisconsin Herd Roundtable: Catching up near the midway point of the season

Is Christian Wood ‘too good’ for the G League?

JT: As strange as it sounds, I think it’s a very fair and valid way to paint where Wood’s usage in the G League stands at this point. Wood has simply mastered how he plays in the G League and while he’s certainly skilled in a variety of ways, his physical stature just powers every facet of his game and overwhelms opponents at every turn, even on the occasional off night. We obviously saw this in Wood’s Summer League Bucks stint, which paved the way to his training camp signing and eventual inclusion on the team’s roster before the start of the season.

But I have to join you and Al Pacino in this devil’s advocate scenario to ask that despite the gaudy raw production he’s putting up every assignment with the Herd, is Wood’s high-usage, heavy 1-on-1 scoring role really conducive to seeing if he can be at minimum, a solid reserve on a Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Bucks team? I don’t think so and that’s certainly not a knock on Wood. He’s doing the best with the opportunity presented to him at the moment. But sooner or later, evaluating whether Wood is able to hold his own against NBA-caliber talent and in a more complementary role will have to be answered.

TW: It’s hard to disagree. Evidently, you don’t want someone like Wood to, for lack of a better term, ‘rot away’ on the end of the Bucks bench, waiting games upon games for their number to be called, only for them to eventually get that ‘blue moon’ opportunity to play NBA minutes, and not be ready due to a lack of reps.

That said, in Wood’s case, where he is probably a top-five player in the G League, I feel there is very little to be gained (at least developmentally) by continuing to sending him down to the Herd. As it stands, conservatively, the Bucks have missed at least two or three perfect games where Budenholzer could have potentially given Wood (who has been inactive since December 5, and November 21 before that) decent burn, which may or may not have shed further light on how he might figure into the rotation moving forward, particularly after the John Henson injury and subsequent trade.

Obviously, neither of us get to watch Christian go at Brook Lopez, Thon Maker or Jason Smith in practice with the Bucks, or are privy to the inner workings of Budenholzer’s plans for the rotation on any given night, but it just feels as though Wood is well overdue for his chance to earn some minutes, even if only as the finest victory cigar in the NBA.

However, I’m not sure the same can be said about D.J. Wilson, albeit following some sneakily impressive outings for the Herd, putting up 13.7 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, knocking down 46.4 percent of his shots from deep, all in just 23.2 (largely restricted coming off injury) minutes a night, and undeniably promising career-best performances for the Bucks in wins over the Pistons, Pelicans and Celtics, and a loss to the Heat.