Looking at D.J. Augustin’s journeyed NBA career
Having logged eight stints across the league before coming to Milwaukee, Augustin has recorded his fair share of frequent flyer miles over his 12-year NBA career.
But it all started when Augustin was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the then-Charlotte Bobcats (fun fact: Augustin was selected one pick ahead of starting Bucks big man Brook Lopez).
Upon arriving in Charlotte, though, Augustin had his work cut out for him in terms of being able to establish himself in the league, especially under legendary head coach Larry Brown. Augustin proved to be capable upon entering the league as he averaged 11.8 points, shot 43.9 percent from three, and averaged 3.5 assists through72 appearances and made it on to the NBA’s All-Rookie second team for the 2008-09 season.
But Augustin’s time in Charlotte had plenty of ups and downs, some of which was self-inflicted on Augustin’s part. It certainly didn’t help that Augustin’s effectiveness dropped off from his rookie season, all of which brought on plenty of his uncertainty as far as his time in Charlotte was concerned.
After the Bobcats’ 7-59 campaign during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, Augustin was slated to enter restricted free agency. That was until the Bobcats pulled his qualifying offer, turning him into an unrestricted free agent and freeing him to sign with the Indiana Pacers.
That charted the course for the many travels that Augustin has had over his time in the NBA. From 2012 to 2016, Augustin played for seven different teams, was dealt midseason in two straight seasons and was waived by the Toronto Raptors after 10 appearances in 2013-14.
In the midst of growing his family at the time, Augustin touched on the hardships of that whirlwind period of his NBA career with Sean Deveney of Forbes back in October of 2019:
"“At that time, (my wife) was pregnant and we had our daughter, she was young,” Augustin said. “She was almost two and my wife was pregnant with my older son. She handled everything as far as packing and the move. I had to get up and go to the next city and meet the new team. My wife held it down for the family. When you come into the NBA, you don’t expect that, you don’t expect that you are going to be moved around a lot.”"
It was finally with the Magic, whom he signed a four-year, $29 million deal during the free agent frenzy that the summer of 2016, that Augustin regained a sense of security that he had not had since coming to the league in Charlotte.
As a result, it just so happened that some of Augustin’s best and most efficient years came over his four-year stint in Orlando, especially under head coach Steve Clifford. And Augustin made himself a folk hero after sealing the Magic’s stunning Game 1 victory over the Toronto Raptors during the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs.
Following his shining moment that day, Augustin reflected on all of the hurdles and criticism he had faced throughout his time in the NBA as Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel wrote about following the win:
"“Honestly, I don’t listen to that kind of stuff and I never did,’’ a defiant Augustin says in reference to the cacophony of criticism he’s faced over the years. “I’ve been the same size since I was [young] and nobody expected me to be in the NBA and I’m going into my 12th year. I don’t listen to what the outside people say. I only care about my family, people close to me and my teammates. If they believe in me, and my coaches believed in me from the jump, that’s all I’ve needed.”"
That’s certainly got him this far in the face of many adversities over his NBA career and that now brings him to Milwaukee.