Bucks vs. Jazz Thoughts and Tidbits

Another rather depressing Summer League game against the Jazz featuring very little of the starters didn’t give us much to come away with, but we tried to find some pieces to leave you with heading into the offseason.

Thoughts and Tidbits

Stephen Zimmerman got the start as center for today’s game, a fellow Runnin’ Rebel alongside Rashad Vaughn. He looked overmatched almost all game.

D.J. Wilson whipped a crisp pass to Gary Payton II around the arc in transition in the first and almost immediately stepped back behind the arc to ensure he was available for a three after Payton probed the interior. He missed the shot, but having that innate sense of your location on the court will serve him well as he competes with Mirza Teletovic for forward minutes.

Koenig did not have his shot working this game, missing four consecutive good looks to start the game including an open look from the corner after he snaked through the lane from one side to the other. He hasn’t shown many skills that seem like they’ll translate, with a dearth of quickness or shiftiness, so (obvious alert) his shot has to be hitting for him to have much potential of earmarking a spot at the next level.

Jalen Moore’s release feels really wonky, with his legs splayed out like Bambi slipping on the ice. However, he managed to hit an easy three to start the second quarter and looked relatively smooth using his body to slip around a defender on a pump fake and get up a decent looking shot. Of the two two-way contract guys, he’s looked more like he belongs among NBA speed than Koenig, although he’s still a far cry from deserving any sort of minutes. Splashing home two catch-and-shoot threes and finding Reggie Upshaw for a three on a cross-court pass in the second half were a call for optimism though.

Travis Trice showed off some of his speed with a fake-out dribble move in the first to scoot to the rim, but I was more impressed by two pocket bounce passes he rifled to Stephen Zimmerman on the roll. Zimmerman only connected on the second of those, but I’m a sucker for a zippy roll pass.

D.J. Wilson had a clear mismatch against NIgel Williams-Goss in the post, and wasn’t demonstrably calling for the ball quick enough, and got swallowed up when he did get it by a Jazz player helping on the backside to sandwich him in. He shouldn’t really be operating out of the post regardless, but he quite clearly lacks the strength or finesse to do so anyway at this point.

Several times Wilson hesitated for a shot on the perimeter, allowing the defender to recover before he took a contested pull-up. Summer League affords him some leniency, but just as his ability to get behind the arc in transition will serve him well, it’s only as useful as how willing he is to pull that trigger.

Milwaukee’s perimeter defense was quite poor throughout. Defenders would easily snag on pick and roll coverage, looking absent-minded and disinterested in getting out on Jazz defenders. They rocked home threes like they were shooting in the barnyard, and Milwaukee did little to deter that with Utah nailing 10-26 (38.5%) from deep.