Milwaukee Bucks: Grading the reserves at the halfway mark of season
By Dalton Sell
We’ve officially made it to the NBA All-Star break, meaning the Milwaukee Bucks have already played through the first half of the season.
Typically at this time of the year, the Bucks would comfortably be sitting atop the NBA standings with the best record, but that has not been the case this season. With a 22-14 overall record, this team has been far from perfect as they try to figure things out.
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Part of their struggles stems from their reshaped roster as these new players try to get acquainted and perfect chemistry. While the starters have done a fantastic job of doing so, the reserves have had their share of issues.
With an inconsistent first half of the season out of the way, it is time to dish out grades for Milwaukee’s second unit.
Before we dive in, draft picks Sam Merrill and Jordan Nwora, along with two-way players Mamadi Diakite and Myles Powell will not be included as they have spent little to no time with the team.
Milwaukee Bucks: All-Star break grade for D.J. Wilson
Now in his fourth season in Milwaukee, D.J. Wilson remains an afterthought in the rotation.
The 25-year-old has logged just 99 minutes in 11 appearances this year, hardly seeing the floor in any meaningful moments. Typically getting minutes in cleanup time, Wilson has not impressed much when he has been fortunate enough to see the floor, scoring 40 total points on 15-of-41 shooting from the floor, including 9-of-26 from deep.
The 17th overall draft pick in the 2017 NBA Draft has never been able to find consistent opportunities with the franchise, and this year has not different. The Bucks hold a qualifying offer for the forward worth $6.4 million to bring him back with the team next season, but if he continues to sit on the end of the bench, it seems highly unlikely they’d tender such an offer if he remains on the roster going into the offseason.