Welcome to the 2017-18 edition of the Young Bucks Tracker. This year, we're taking a different tact. With Milwaukee now having a G League franchise, the Wisconsin Herd, each Thursday we'll either track the progress of the players who might be of help to the Bucks in the future or a current member of the Milwaukee roster. We'll also give updates on the other young players from the previous week.
This is the 2nd edition of the 2017-18 Young Bucks Tracker.
SPOTLIGHT ON
Forward D.J. Wilson
Milwaukee's first-round pick in this past year's draft has not received a lot of playing time in his rookie season -- just 35 minutes.
On Dec. 1, however, that changed, at least for one game. Wilson was sent down to the G League's Wisconsin Herd, who were opening their new arena that night against the Iowa Wolves.
Playing alongside fellow 2017 draft pick Sterling Brown as well as Joel Bolomboy and Gary Payton II, both of whom are on two-way contracts, Wilson helped the Herd to a 116-109 victory, scoring a team-high 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Wilson made 3 of 5 3-points attempts and also hit all three of his free-throw attempts. In addition, he had four rebounds, four assists and three steals with just one turnover in his 28 minutes -- or nearly as much playing time as he's had with the Bucks all season.
"It felt good to be able to run up and down the court and play those minutes," Wilson said after the game.
We bet it did. Wilson was recalled back to Milwaukee after the game and didn't play in any of the Bucks' three games upon his return.
BUCKSHOTS
-- With Wilson back in Milwaukee, Xavier Munford (18.5 ppg, 5.3 apg, 4.7 rpg) paced the Herd with 29 and 28 points in Wisconsin's next two games.
-- Speaking of first-round draft picks, Rashad Vaughn played 17:10 on Wednesday against Detroit, tallying 11 points. It was his first time playing 10+ minutes since Halloween and just his second game of the season scoring in double figures (12 at Atlanta on Oct. 29). Vaughn's five rebounds were also a season high and a total he only reached or exceeded twice last season.
-- You might have heard, but Giannis Antetokounmpo turned 23 on Wednesday. He ended up with 5,364 points through age 22, which is the most in Bucks' history by a longshot. Brandon Jennings is second with 3,549, Marques Johnson had 2,963, Ray Allen 2,704 and Glenn Robinson 2,400. In the NBA, since 1963-64, Giannis ranks ninth in points by age 22 behind luminaries LeBron James (9,188), Kevin Durant (8,128), Carmelo Anthony (7,826), Kobe Bryant (6,178), Tracy McGrady (6,135), Shaquille O'Neal (5,994), Dwight Howard (5,840) and Andrew Wiggins (5,477 and counting; he turns 23 on Feb. 23).
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