Interviews with all three Milwaukee Bucks two-way players
GSPN caught up with Lindell Wigginton, TyTy Washington Jr., and Marques Bolden on the night Wigginton made Wisconsin Herd history.
The Wisconsin Herd won their third straight game on Sunday evening to move to 3-2 in the Showcase Cup standings and give Herd head coach Beno Udrih a winning record. Milwaukee Bucks two-way player Lindell Wigginton made Herd history in the tight win over the Sioux Falls Skyforce, scoring 26 points to surpass Rayjon Tucker as the top all-time Wisconsin scorer with 1,175 points scored as a Herd player.
Wigginton, who already owned the top marks for assists and also grabbed the made three-pointers record on Sunday, spoke with GSPN after the game, as did fellow two-way players TyTy Washington Jr. and Marques Bolden. Here are those conversations, lightly edited for clarity.
Ti Windisch (TW): Lindell, congratulations again on becoming the Wisconsin Herd all time leading scorer. You got to celebrate with the team on the court and the fans in the building. What does it mean to you to accomplish this here for this pretty storied franchise?
Lindell Wigginton (LW): I mean, it's a lot. You know a lot of great players came through here, just means a lot that I got the scoring record, the assists record and things like that —
TW: Three-pointers record today as well!
LW: Three-pointers! So I just give all the credit to my teammates and coaches. Those guys believe in me each and every night to just let me go out there and do what I do and I just give all the credit to them, give all the credit to the fans as well for coming and showing support all the time so I just appreciate everybody that let me do what I do.
TW: Getting [the record] in a tight, well-played win has to make it even better. I'm sure you didn't want to accomplish any of this stuff in a losing effort. How important was it to you, I'm sure every game, but especially this one to come out on top after really a high-flying game of basketball?
LW: Yeah, it was definitely important to get the win. Honestly if I would have broke the record and we lost it wouldn't have meant too much to me but it was definitely great to come in and pull together the win and you know, our teammates stuck together at the end of the game. We bowed down and got stops so it great for me and my teammates and our coaching staff keeping us locked in.
TW: Thinking back to your first Herd season a couple years ago, that version of Lindell Wigginton, how much do you feel like you've grown as a player and as a person since starting this journey of being an all-time leader in all these categories?
LW: I've grown so much. I feel literally every month I just feel like I get better because I put in the work and that shows on the court. I just go out there and I don't really go out there and think, I just go out there and play. So that’s a testament to me putting in the work, each and every day, and like I said my teammates believe in me, coaching staff believes in me so they give me all the confidence in the world to just go do what I what I do.
TW: I know it's your first game with the Herd this season, spending a lot of time with the NBA club. How excited were you knowing you were this close [to the record] to finally get a game and have an opportunity to do this?
LW: I was excited. Obviously I haven't been playing a lot up upstairs. So it's just good to come back here, get my feet wet, play basketball, just get in a rhythm with my teammates. Like I said, my teammates keep me going and keep me confident, my staff keeps me confident and it was just good to come down here and and break the record. I wasn't looking to break it or anything tonight, I was just really going out there and playing —
TW: Really, didn’t come into the game wanting to do it?
LW: No, honestly, I didn't even come in the game looking to break it. But that's God, that's God's blessing. So I appreciate that, appreciate my teammates as well and my coaching staff.
TW: You’ve been in the Bucks organization for a few years now. Obviously there was a seismic trade before this season to bring in Damian Lillard, you know, new emphasis probably on defense from everyone else when you lose a guy like Jrue Holiday. How do you feel like you can step in and help with that given you are, in addition to setting the Herd scoring record, a great defender on the ball too?
LW: I just got to keep showing it every day. Know my time will come at some point, it's a long season, 82 games. I know what I can do on the defensive end, as well as my coaching staff and front office. So I just got to just keep buying in and doing what I can do every single day, just control what I can control. And I think at some point, it’ll be my turn.
TW: I caught up with TyTy, he mentioned Dame did a lot of work with you guys trying to convey that point guard sense he has. How valuable was that? And what's it been like working with him?
LW: Man, it’s been amazing. He's a great dude. A real person, helps you on and off the court. So just being around him, being around his spirit. He uplifts the young guys. He loves being around the young guys. So it's just great. Just being around Dame and him getting here the way he got here. He's a real leader on and off the floor. So it was great being around him. I can't wait to keep picking his brain and being around him and learning from him each and every day.
TW: When you're down here with the G League club, seems like right now, a lot of guys who played in the league before on this roster, a lot of proven talent. What's it been like — I know this is your first game with them — but what were your impressions of this group?
LW: We got a lot of guys who want to play for each other. Just going in and buying in on the defensive end and offensive end, we're just sticking together and we don't hang our heads. I feel like we just go out there and play the game that we love and everybody sticks together at the end of the day.
TW: I know you got to host a youth basketball camp in Halifax this summer. How important was it to you to be able to go back and give back like that?
LW: Man that was a blessing. Honestly growing up that's kind of what I wanted — obviously I wanted to play in the NBA. But I just want to inspire the youth back home because they don't have anybody to look up to, only me being the first one from Nova Scotia to make it. It's just a blessing to me. I'm thankful and blessed. I can give back like that and hopefully I can just continue to give back and be a blessing to everybody back home.
Gyro Step listeners should already be familiar with TyTy Washington Jr. after his fantastic conversation with Rohan Katti and myself earlier this year!
Shameless plug aside (almost, here are links to that podcast on Apple and Spotify for those who prefer audio!) here’s my conversation with Washington Jr. about the win, his partnership with Wigginton in the Herd backcourt, his slow start shooting the ball this season, and learning from Dame and Giannis.
TW: Congratulations on the win tonight. Obviously it was a really high-flying game, back and forth the whole time with Sioux Falls. What goes into coming out on top of a game like that?
TyTy Washington Jr. (TyTy): Execution down the stretch and really just — we emphasize playing hard through all four quarters and I felt like that's what we did. Third quarter we kind came out slow but you know, fourth quarter we just played the whole 12 minutes hard. We all knew going into the fourth, last quarter of the game, got to give it everything we got and I feel like that's what we did.
TW: This was your first home game with the Herd — what was it like playing in front of this home crowd for the first time?
TyTy: It was really good, especially seeing a bunch of little kids out here screaming your name, asking for autographs and stuff mid-game, all that stuff is fun. It just shows the community, coming out on a Sunday night, most people got work and stuff tomorrow so for the community to come out and show us love and support us like this means a lot.
TW: You and Lindell, who made Herd history tonight, seemed like a really effective backcourt pairing. I remember I asked you before the season about playing with these other point guards, you said you look forward to it, you think your skillsets complemented each other. Now having gotten to play with Lindell, do you feel that’s definitely the case?
TyTy: Yeah, definitely. Me and him are similar but yet different. You know, he's stronger than I am, he’s way quicker so he can get downhill and he'll finish at the rim. Me, I’m kind of more relaxed. So I was just letting him play his game, I was pretty much just feeding off of him. As you said he made history tonight. I'm very proud of him. And most importantly, he was happy and we got the win.
TW: Did you guys know going in or around that time like okay, he's two buckets away, he's one bucket away? And was there any focus on that out there? Do you have to put that aside when you're in that competitive of a game?
TyTy: So before we actually traveled down here, he said last night he thinks he's like 20 points away from it. And I'm like well, tomorrow let's go get it. And then once we got here and once the game started going we really didn't care and then once they said it out loud, it was like like oh dang, you got it? And he didn't know, he was surprised too. So once the game started we just really focused on trying to get the win.
TW: What have you been focused on your time with the Bucks and Herd so far? What are you really trying to do right now in this early part of the season?
TyTy: Really just stack days, be consistent every single day, be who I am. But as far as aspects on the court its just being able to stay ready to shoot and be able to knock down open shots. I feel like down here or up there being able to stretch the floor, shooting the ball is really a huge skillset. Playing with guys like Giannis and Dame, you're not gonna have the ball, you're gonna be spacing so you’ve got to be ready to shoot. So when I'm down here, keeping that in mind, letting our other guards get to the paint and facilitate and me just being ready to shoot.
TW: I noticed it’s been a little bit of a slower start than I'm sure you wanted shooting from deep. How good was it tonight to see some of those early threes fall and is that just a matter of persistence and knowing when you're open when you catch you've got to take those shots?
TyTy: Like you said, it ain’t been the best start by me. Got to keep shooting, shooters got to shoot. You know the first couple of games I felt like I was forcing a lot of shots but now I’ve just got into my feet, got into a little groove, a little rhythm, been in the gym a lot. So just relying on my work at the end of the day and like you said just knocking down open shots, knowing when to shoot, when to pass, when to be aggressive, stuff like that.
TW: This is three straight wins now for the Herd. I know you're not involved in all of them but what do you think this group has to continue doing to keep the wins coming?
TyTy: We just got to continue to play together. We can't go away from what's been working. We kind of had, not a lead, but we had a little momentum going into halftime and then coming out of halftime we started playing a little bit selfishly, a little ISO-ball and they started making a run. So really just staying together through adversity.
TW: You mentioned Giannis and Dame earlier — I don't know how much time you've gotten to interact with either of those guys but obviously a guy coming in at your position who's already an all-75 player for the NBA. Have you gotten to work with him at all or learn anything from him or watching his routines?
TyTy: Yeah definitely, I pick Dame’s brain a lot. He’s like a big brother to me. After practice, before practice, whenever I get a chance we're always talking, he's always talking to me. Throughout the whole training camp he helped me and Lindell just making simple reads and stuff. Like you say, he’s top 75 so he knows a lot of tricks of the trade, he knows the game more than me and Lindell do, so me and him both are picking his brain and same with Giannis. You know Giannis is a family-orientated guy, he treats the team like his family. So he always talking to everybody. He doesn't want to see his own success. He wants everybody on the team to succeed as well.
After not being as familiar with Marques Bolden’s game before he signed a two-way contract with Milwaukee before the season, the reasoning for Bolden getting the deal became clear as he embodied what Bucks fans look for in their centers. Bolden blocked 3 shots and knocked down a three against the Skyforce on Sunday night.
On the Herd season, Bolden is averaging 15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and knocking down 55.6 percent of his 3 attempted threes per game. I asked Bolden about getting both an exhibit 10 and then a two-way contract with the Bucks, how he’s refining his game to be a modern big, and about his early experiences with Bucks Culture.
TW: Congratulations on the win tonight Marques, it was a high scoring game pretty much the whole way through. What do you think made the difference for the Herd to come out on top tonight?
Marques Bolden (MB): That second half, I felt like the scout for us was, they made a lot of tough shots in the first half. And so we just tried to make it harder on them in the second half, make them work more for the shots that they were getting into. So I felt like we did that all fourth quarter. They didn't really get too many easy looks and we fought hard down the stretch.
TW: Rewinding a little bit to when you first signed the Exhibit 10 contract with the Bucks this offseason. What did you like about Milwaukee and your fit with the organization to sign that deal?
MB: Just the culture. From top to bottom, they were bringing in a new head coach, a new coaching staff. And then it was a new G League staff as well with Beno [Udrih], [Chris] Copeland, Lance [Harris] and everyone else so I just like the culture. It's a great winning group of guys. It's a lot of smart vets. And you know, you don't really get the chance to play with Hall of Famers and practice with them every now and then too often. So just taking advantage every moment is what I try to do.
TW: I wanted to ask about one of the particular Hall of Famers, Brook Lopez, who obviously yourself is a big man who can shoot threes. He has become one of the preeminent examples of that. Have you gotten to work with him at all? And if so, what's that been like for you?
MB: I haven't really worked with him too much. But I felt like I learned a lot from him by just watching him and asking questions. Because you know, he changed his game throughout his career. Like his first couple years he was not a pick-and-pop big. But now you know, he's Splash Mountain and everything like that. So I just learned a lot from him just by watching him. But yeah, he's definitely a great guy to pick his brain.
TW: You can pick his brain about comic books, about shooting threes, all sorts of things that Brook Lopez is into.
MB: He’s a real interesting dude, you know what I’m saying, with the house on the the Disney property and everything. So you find out more and more about him each time you talk to him, but I just try to learn, like, what good habits did he build, because being in the league for as long as he has, him and Robin both have been in the league for more than a decade. And that's tough to do. And so that's something that I'm aiming for. I feel like that's most of the things that I ask him about is just like routine and like, how can I really get to that level?
TW: I looked back, with Duke I think you shot seven threes. I don't mean to be a negative person, but I think it was 0/7. So clearly, you've added that dimension to your game a bit quicker than Brook, obviously different time in the league. But was that you looking at the landscape and saying, okay, if I'm a big and I can shoot that adds such a big dimension in today's game?
MB: Yeah, I mean, obviously, I want to be able to be on the floor. So I'll just try to do anything that will get me on the floor, whether that is guarding multiple positions, protecting the rim, and being able to stretch the floor. Being a liability on offense, where guys can just leave you, it's not ideal. So me being able to knock down wide open shots and kind of take a lot of the pressure off of the other guys is something I really worked on.
TW: You mentioned defending the rim, I think you ended up with three blocks and just one personal foul tonight. What goes into being that rim deterrent and even blocking shots without getting in foul trouble?
MB: A lot of effort and timing. I felt like I play a lot of one-on-one with guys up there. You know, being on a two-way I get to practice with Giannis, Bobby Portis, Jae Crowder. I mean, we got a lot of good vets. And so it's just practicing. I felt like my timing has gotten better each and every day that I step on the court. And so it just takes a lot of effort to really get those blocks and protect the rim.
TW: I wanted to ask you about getting the two-way, you know, were you expecting that at all or thought it was a possibility when you first joined up with the Bucks? And what was it like getting that next level up in the contract?
MB: You really don't expect anything but an opportunity. And I felt like coming in, I knew that I had an equal opportunity. And so that's all I ask for. Coming off of a injury that I had last year, not being able to play too much, I just asked for an opportunity and they gave it to me so I just tried to make the most of it. And it's turning out good so far.
TW: You mentioned the culture earlier. With Giannis and Dame in that building now, what's it been like when you've been up there working with those guys, and as you mentioned with Brook, learning habits from guys who have accomplished so much in the league?
MB: It's just exciting. I got up here around Labor Day and just working out with the team and then you know, we made a couple of moves, got Dame in the building and got a lot of guys so it's just exciting. You know, everybody's really excited about the talent level of this team and we just want to see how far we can take it. So I just try to be a sponge. Playing on a winning team, you really can't take that for granted playing in this league, because it's not too many teams like the Milwaukee Bucks this year. So I just you know, even when playing with the Herd, always give 100% and make each day count.
While it’s unclear when exactly their NBA opportunities will arise this season, it is clear the Bucks have three exciting two-way players who realize exactly how important these roles are. Whether its in Milwaukee or Oshkosh, watching Wigginton, Washington Jr., and Bolden play this season will be a fun exercise both for the basketball enjoyment and to see them continue developing in real time.