Two truths and a lie about the Wisconsin basketball off-season
Wisconsin men's basketball has nearly finalized its roster for 2024–25. Here are two truths—and one major concern that may be getting overlooked.
Before long, summer workouts will be in full swing, and the Wisconsin men's basketball staff will shift its attention toward the upcoming 2025–26 season.
The portal dust has mostly settled. The Badgers roster is nearly finalized, with just one spot left to fill. And with high school recruiting heating up, the full picture of this offseason is coming into focus.
Now, some questions still linger. That’s the nature of this sport right now. But we’ve already learned a lot about how Greg Gard and his staff have approached this roster rebuild. Certain patterns have emerged. A few narratives have been flipped. And one concern I don’t think is getting enough attention? There’s a spot on this roster that people seem a lot more comfortable with than I expected—and after what we learned last offseason, I’m not convinced that’s a gamble worth brushing off.
At this point in the offseason, a few things are starting to make sense. A few others? Still up for debate. So let’s lay it out clearly—two things we know about Wisconsin men's basketball entering the season, and one that probably deserves a closer look before we assume it’s all figured out.
Call it two truths and a lie: Wisconsin men's basketball offseason edition.
Truth No. 1: John Blackwell still has another gear left
There’s a lot we don’t know about this Wisconsin team going into the season. But to me, there’s one thing we do know. One truth that’s felt obvious for months now—John Blackwell has another step to take. And not just one that Badger fans are hoping for. NBA scouts are saying it, too.
Blackwell tested the 2025 NBA Draft waters, got his feedback, and came back to Wisconsin for his junior season with a plan. And from my perspective, there are a few areas where I think that growth is going to show up on the court.
First: shooting consistency. As a freshman, Blackwell shot 45.5% from deep. That dropped to 32.2% this past season as his responsibilities expanded, usage went up, and his shooting volume increased. That number has to stabilize. He’s a better shooter than that dip suggests. But he needs to show that to NBA scouts and to take that last step to get drafted.
Second: rim finishing and overall athleticism. Scouts want to see him play stronger at the rim—absorbing contact, finishing through it, and showing a little more pop in traffic. Getting to the free throw line with consistency. Just becoming a guy who can hurt you in more than one way. That’s not a knock—it’s just the next step in becoming an NBA guard.
And third: defense. I think defense is an area where Blackwell can take a real step forward this season. With more chances to play off the ball, he should be better positioned to make plays as a help defender and use his instincts more freely. But that also comes with some responsibilities—like sharper decision-making in pick-and-roll coverage. Reading the action. Rotating on time. Communicating through switches. It’s all part of becoming a more complete two-way guard, and I think he’s got it in him.
Here’s what excites me: Blackwell knows it. He is expected to take on a much bigger scoring load this year. And with Nick Boyd—the San Diego State transfer—coming in at point guard, Blackwell will have more freedom to play on and off the ball. That suits him. That sets him up to attack from different spots on the floor and hopefully take another big step forward.
Let’s not forget: John Tonje is off to the NBA after an All-American-level season. And Blackwell was one of Wisconsin's best scoring sidekicks in years—and he was just a sophomore. That wasn’t a fluke. That was a guy who cares about his legacy. About this program. About growth.
Now, with Tonje gone, I expect Blackwell to step into a lot of that volume. I think he’ll be more aggressive getting to the line. I think he’ll be more determined in how he attacks the rim. And if that all clicks? We’re talking about a potential First-Team All-Big Ten player. A legitimate go-to guy.
If Greg Gard stays the course—trusting his players, giving them freedom on offense—then this is the year Blackwell makes the leap. I’m talking about going from an elite complementary piece to the guy everything runs through. And if that happens, he’s not just testing the NBA Draft waters next spring—he’s staying in. That’s the kind of trajectory he’s on.
This is Wisconsin’s star for the 2025-26 season. The guy you build everything around. The guy you show recruits when you talk about development. And the guy you trust when the game’s on the line.
Truth No. 2: Wisconsin is no longer playing from behind
There’s a phrase I keep coming back to with this program: they’ve stopped reacting—and started dictating. And to me, that’s one of the clearest signs that Wisconsin isn’t playing from behind.
You want proof? Let’s just walk through the past year.
They leaned all the way into an offensive makeover. Gard and Special Assistant to the Head Coach Kirk Penney didn’t just tweak a few sets. They’ve been installing an entirely new system. One that’s modern. Analytical. Spaced out. 3-point heavy and filled with high percentage looks. And with Penney serving as the offensive coordinator, it’s built to keep pace with the way basketball is evolving.
Then they doubled down off the court. They brought in Greg Stiemsma from the Spurs to oversee player development. They handed Chief of Staff Marc VandeWettering the keys to roster construction, effectively naming him the de facto general manager responsible for overseeing all the moving parts that go into building a competitive team. And they also hired Isaac Wodajo as the Director of Recruiting and Scouting.
That’s how you modernize a program.
But it doesn’t stop there. Look at how they’ve attacked international recruiting. It’s more transactional. More cost-efficient. It gives you options that don’t always require getting into a bidding war or spending years building a relationship. That’s not accidental—that’s adaptation. They’ve accepted where the sport is headed and built out a structure to compete in it despite the hand that's been dealt to them by the NCAA.
And then there’s NIL. Last year, they got caught off guard when Chucky Hepburn left for Louisville. This time? They were negotiating in-season with John Blackwell and Nolan Winter—two of the most important developmental wins the staff has had—to make sure those guys became the foundation of what they were building for the future. That’s foresight. That’s how you avoid scrambling in the offseason.
They also approached the transfer portal with a new level of preparedness. Wisconsin spent the entire year scouting potential fits, tracking players quietly, building financial parameters so that the moment someone entered the portal, they weren’t asking, “Can we afford him?” they already knew. That allows you to act fast, decisively, and with clarity.