The NBA is back! In summer form.
Just a few weeks after the NBA draft in June, many of this year’s picks — paired with a sprinkling of other young fringe NBA players — arrived in Las Vegas for the annual NBA Summer League.
For the Bucks’ front office, Summer League is a valuable opportunity to identify talented young players to round out the roster or fill out some G-League spots and help the franchise take another step forward this season. Through its first three games, the Summer League Bucks are 1-2. After opening the weekend with an impressive 90-63 win over Detroit, Milwaukee has lost its last two contests.
But Summer League isn’t so much about this team’s collective performance anyway (and it’s been mixed, to say the least). Just take a look at this botched attempt at a last-second, game-tying play:
After all, how much can you reasonably expect from a team full of contract-hungry young athletes who haven’t had much practice together? Instead, for once, there is an “I” in team — or at least a me.2018 first-round draft pick Donte DiVincenzo has been out with a lingering groin injury, but there is still plenty of young talent on the roster looking to make an impression. With that in mind, here is a breakdown of a few of the booms and busts for the Bucks so far this summer.
D.J. Wilson
It’s been a mixed bag for the second-year pro out of Michigan, last year’s first-round pick.
Wilson is averaging 14 points per game through three games so far. In the opener, he finished second on the Bucks in scoring with 17 points, including a respectable 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. In game three, he finished with 18 points, including 3-for-7 from 3-point range. Give him a spot up 3-pointer or an easy put-back in the post, and Wilson has shown he is more than capable of putting the ball in the hoop this summer.
But he still disappears at times and his willingness to battle physically has not improved much from this time last year. Even when he can get into the paint, Wilson’s finishing often lacks some of the enthusiasm required of an effective NBA player. For example:
Still, the rest of his stats have been entirely respectable this summer: 6 rebounds per game, 2.67 assists, 2 steals. Could he become a useful piece off the bench for the Bucks? Sure. But don’t hold your breath.
Summer League grade: C+
Sterling Brown
A second-round pick in 2017, Brown had an impressive rookie season for the Bucks. He ultimately earned playing time in 54 games last season, averaging nearly 15 minutes a game.
This means that for Brown, summer is less about proving that he belongs on the team and more about showing new Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer that he has made improvements worthy of expanded playing time this season.
When he is locked in, Brown has been a cut above the rest of his Summer League teammates. He scored a team-high 27 points in game three. In game two, Brown scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in just the third quarter to keep the Bucks competitive. But his shooting can be streaky; he finished the same game 0-for-7 from the field in the fourth quarter with his team struggling to mount a comeback in the final minutes.
Brown is only 4-for-13 from beyond the arc this summer, but Budenholzer and his staff won’t be too worried about that considering the small sample size. More important, the grit and tenacity that earned Brown a chance in the first place are still there. Despite knowing his roster spot is all but assured this season, Brown played hard on both sides of the court and managed to hassle his opponents on defense:
Should he manage to improve his three-point shooting even marginally from last year (35.2 percent), Brown has the potential to become a true 3-and-D weapon for the Bucks moving forward.
Summer League grade:< strong>A-
Christian Wood
Wood started out hot in the Summer League opener. He finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks — immediately sending some Bucks fans into a frenzy that he could be a small piece of the puzzle to the Bucks’ scoring woes from the center position.
However, the 22-year-old’s quickly rising stock soon settled at a more reasonable price. In the second and third games, Wood scored 10 and 16 points, respectively, and proved himself a capable third option behind Brown and Wilson.
To make matters worse, even if he had kept up the magnificent production he managed in game one, Wood’s chances of earning a Bucks contract dropped close to zero on Sunday night when Milwaukee signed veteran center Brook Lopez, previously of the Nets and Lakers. The addition of the 30-year-old Lopez, a former All-Star, now gives the Bucks five centers on the active roster.
Summer League grade: B
With the three preliminary games completed, the Summer League now moves to tournament play. Each team is guaranteed five games total and as many as eight, so the young Bucks will have at least a couple more opportunities to shine. Next up: the Spurs on Thursday night.
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