D.J. Wilson plays well in Summer League debut, signs rookie deal

D.J. Wilson was a very intriguing 17th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, leaving a lot of people to wonder why he was picked by the Milwaukee Bucks earlier than projected.

Just one day after signing his rookie-scale contract of 3.9 million dollars for at least two guaranteed years, he made a concrete statement on the hardwood.

In the Las Vegas Summer League debut of Wilson, he showed what he is capable of in a blowout 82-53 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The former Michigan forward filled out the stat sheet, recording 11 points (4-for-13 from the floor) and five rebounds to go along with two blocks and assists in 23 minutes of action as a starter.

While Wilson’s top highlight of the night was an and-one, left-handed dunk, there was much more that he showcased.

The 6-foot-10, 240-pounder showed he can guard the perimeter with a block along the 3-point line, and well as a block underneath that bounced off a Cleveland player to give his team the ball back.

Then mid-way through the fourth quarter, Wilson delivered a dime to a teammate underneath from beyond the arc, showing how well his vision is even when handling the ball.

Wilson said after the game that he was “anxious to get out there” and that his coach, Jason Kidd, said that getting the first game out of the way would help any nerves.

The undisclosed contract that Wilson signed on Thursday could have a value of as much as 120 percent of his rookie pay scale. What that adds up to is the possibility of 4.6 million dollars over Wilson’s first two seasons as a Buck.

Wilson and the Bucks next contest will be against the Brooklyn Nets at 6 p.m. on Sunday.