Mixing it up
The Bucks’ win over the Detroit Pistons last time out featured the biggest performance of third-year forward D.J. Wilson this season, both in terms of contributions as well as the role he played.
Wilson has gotten a little more run in the Bucks’ rotation over the last week by taking the place of veteran forward Ersan Ilyasova, who was sidelined with left heel soreness in that Bucks-Pistons contest. Between that and Wilson’s 17 minutes off the bench in the Bucks’ win over the Atlanta Hawks to close out their most recent road trip, more than half of Wilson’s scant playing time has come out of two of the last three Bucks’ wins.
That’s obviously nothing new for Wilson as he was backing up Ilyasova behind superstar Antetokounmpo and it would be easy to see that as a source of tension with the 23-year-old being ready for a bigger role in the Bucks’ rotation. Head coach Mike Budenholzer talked about Wilson’s readiness and the underlying impact he always makes for the team when getting his number called to Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
"“Ersan, I think we’re very hopeful that it’s kind of minor in nature and not anything that’s going to be significant or long-term,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “D.J.’s always, I think, ready to go. We feel like he really fits us, is going to help us. … “I think he’s doing a lot of things that don’t show up in the box score when he plays – getting to second actions and movement. We’re really lucky to have him sitting there ready to step up when Ersan’s not able to go.”"
It’s certainly helped that Wilson was able to produce throughout his shifts in the Bucks’ win over the Pistons where put up seven points on five shots, four boards (three offensive) and a pair of assists. Regardless of whether Ilyasova will be available for some run, Wilson’s energy and skill set could come in handy as it relates to the Bucks’ meeting with the Jazz.
You can catch the action between the Bucks and the Jazz when it tips off at 7pm central time.