NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets made a choice to sit some of the guys that head coach Jacque Vaughn has said that he’s being wearing thin over the past few weeks due to injuries. As a result, players like Jalen Wilson, the 51st overall pick in this past draft, got an opportunity and made the most of it.
“Felt great,” Wilson said when asked how he felt to have such a big performance against a great team like the Milwaukee Bucks. In Wednesday’s 144-122 loss to the Bucks, Wilson put up 21 points and 10 rebounds while playing some solid defense against Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the best players in the NBA.
“Always fun being able to play the game that I love so much,” Wilson explained. “Just having a chance to go out and compete, especially playing against a good team like Milwaukee. I always just want to take advantage of the opportunity and go out and just play hard.”
Going into Wednesday, the most minutes that Wilson played in a game this season for the Nets was 16 minutes and 42 seconds in a 124-101 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 14. That was during a five-game road trip in which Vaughn had to play some players extended minutes, but was also willing to give Wilson some playing time in a competitive game.
To this point, Wilson has shown a willingness to play hard for the entire time that he’s on the floor and for now, that’s all the Nets need from him. However, Wednesday’s game against the Bucks showed that Wilson can do damage when given the opportunity to do so.
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