Milwaukee Bucks: Get to know wing Wesley Matthews

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WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 23: (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

A Wisconsin basketball star on many levels, Wesley Matthews will get the chance to fill in two holes on his résumé as he joins the Milwaukee Bucks and chases a ring.

At 33-years-old, Wesley Matthews likely had two things at the forefront of his mind heading into free agency this summer. Matthews has enjoyed a very successful and lucrative career, but winning a championship and playing at home remained two major boxes he may well have liked to check.

By signing with the Milwaukee Bucks on a veteran minimum deal, Matthews will now get a chance to kill two birds with one stone last season.

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Although he was born in San Antonio while his father was playing for the Spurs, it’s fair to say Matthews is Wisconsin through and through.

Matthews was raised in Madison, went to high school at James Madison Memorial, played AAU for the Madison Spartans, and only moved as far as Marquette when it came time to move on to college. In spite of playing all around the NBA, Matthews even still lives in Madison for much of the offseason.

Speaking to Dennis Punzel of the Journal Times ahead of a preseason game against the Bucks in Madison in 2016, Matthews opened up about his relationship to his hometown.

"“I wasn’t born there but I was raised there and the community has always embraced me and had my back. I still have the same group of friends from high school and the Madison Spartans, where I got my start in basketball. I’m still tied into those roots and those people have been supporters of me the whole time.”"

Now getting his chance to play for the Bucks, and on one of the most exciting teams Milwaukee has had in decades, it’s fair to wonder if any player has ever lived up to the Wisconsin Mr. Basketball title that Matthews earned in 2005 in quite this fashion.

Joining up with the Bucks at a time when Malcolm Brogdon‘s departure has opened up a significant spot in Milwaukee’s starting lineup, Matthews will have a chance to stake his claim for the role of the team’s first choice shooting guard.

At a minimum, Matthews will provide quality veteran cover for either wing spot off the bench, and a high impact defender who could still play crucial minutes.

So with the potential for Matthews to become a key player over the course of the season, now seems like a perfect opportunity to get a better sense of who Matthews is as a player.

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