Milwaukee Bucks: D.J. Wilson soaking up rare playing time on assignment

Third-year Milwaukee Bucks forward D.J. Wilson is increasingly seeing more playing time on assignment with the Wisconsin Herd and he’s showing off the latest developments in his game.

D.J. Wilson’s third NBA season with the Milwaukee Bucks hasn’t been able to get out of first gear.

The stretchy forward has struggled to make any headway to build on the progress that he made at times throughout his sophomore year as he’s logged just 259 total minutes across 30 appearances over this season.

More from Bucks News

And any sliver of hope that some Bucks fans and Wilson’s most ardent supporters held following his mini-breakout were dashed when the Bucks added another veteran forward in Marvin Williams off the buyout market last month.

With Williams essentially supplanting fellow veteran Ersan Ilyasova as the reserve forward behind superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, Wilson has been fully blocked out of the Bucks’ rotation and has gotten some long awaited reps on assignment with the Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, over recent weeks instead.

While on assignment with the Herd, we’ve been able to see the full extent to Wilson’s current development as he’s played a more pronounced role under Herd head coach Chase Buford. And the influence he’s had on the Herd has been palpable as he’s logged a +16.8 net rating across the 153 minutes he’s had on the court, per the G League’s stats database.

He’s been able to accomplish such a mark by toggling between the 4 and 5 spots for Buford where his switchability and rim protection have been on display on the defensive end. That was on display in the Herd’s recent loss to the Grand Rapids Drive where he collected four rejections on unsuspecting Drive players.

Between that and Wilson’s overall ability to recover and alter shots when protecting the basket, he’s been able to step right into the Herd’s third-ranked defense with no problems.

Offensively, Wilson’s growing skill set has shown some refinement in key areas and the same concerns that have dogged him throughout his NBA career to this point. It was in Wilson’s most recent assignment, a double overtime loss to the Canton Charge, that served as a promising look into Wilson’s development as a shooter where 15 of his team-leading 21 points came from beyond the arc.

Those five triples Wilson accumulated against the Charge stand as a career high across both the G League and the NBA levels.

What’s been more encouraging is that Wilson has made a point of improving his shot, as he discussed with The Athletic’s Eric Nehm before the season, and that has led to a faster, smoother release for the 24-year-old. And the same goes for being able to hit threes from longer distances as he’s gone 10-of-25 from both above the break spots (40 percent) while on assignment with the Herd.

On the other hand, Wilson continues to struggle generating offense inside the arc or finish at the cup, save for putting down delicious alley-oop dunks like the one seen in the video above. Finishing through contact and against longer and more physical centers still poses its problems for Wilson where he’s converted 56.5 percent of his 23 attempts at the restricted area when up in Oshkosh.

Next. Bucks need to be more physical in future meetings with Miami Heat. dark

There’s been nothing too revelatory, but the incremental signs of progress like Wilson’s shooting give hope to those that look forward to Wilson breaking through in a spot appearance when up with the Bucks. That is, should that day come in what’s left of this regular season.

Home/Bucks News