Chase Budinger has looked like a man on a mission this season with a noticeable fire in his eyes since the days of Training Camp in Mankato. That fire has made its way to the court this season as he’s constantly seen working on little nuances of his game — whether it’s shooting with Mike Penberthy or dribbling with Ryan Saunders — before and after practices. It’s clear Budinger has his eyes set on a big bounce back season.
He appears to be well on his way.
Budinger got his first taste of significant minutes Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks and responded with an impressive game. He played a team-high 33 minutes and snapped off for 15 points on 5-for-12 shooting. Budinger also flashed his ability to knockdown the outside jumper as he shot 3-for-7 from beyond the arc.
That said Budinger thought a different facet of his game stood out Wednesday night.
“I thought I played pretty well, especially defensively,” said Budinger who finished with a pair of steals in the game.
Budinger hasn’t necessarily been known for his defense in the past as he’s instead been looked at as more of a guy that can provide an offensive spark off the bench. Flip Saunders and his love for two-way players, however, seems to have motivated Budinger to bring a sense of intensity to the defensive end of the floor this season.
Saunders complimented Budinger’s defensive effort after the win over the Bucks and said he was also satisfied with the way Budinger moved on the offensive end of the floor.
“He’s … getting his legs back under him,” Saunders said. “I’m just happy for him because it has been a long road to get back where he is at right now.”
Saunders isn’t joking.
It’s been an extremely tumultuous road for the 26-year-old swingman over the last few seasons. He’s dealt with lower body injury after lower body injury and in that span has never really looked like himself on the court. A player once lauded for his highly effective jump shot, and a player that proved white man can jump in the 2012 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, was reduced to a guy that barely looked comfortable running up and down the floor. He didn’t have the same lift and that impacted every part of his game.
Then just when it looked like Budinger had finally found himself last season …
… he injured his ankle a day later and was shut down for the rest of the season.
Budinger, who admitted that ankle injury was a low point for him, said he has flushed it out of his mind entering this season. He knows he can’t play with any reservations if he wants to play at a high level. Budinger also knows he will need to play at a high level as a part of a second unit that the Wolves will rely heavily on this season
“It’s going to be a point of emphasis for this team,” Budinger said. “We have got a lot of players that can play. We can go deep into our bench and find guys who can contribute.”
Budinger said back at Training Camp in Mankato that he feels 100 percent entering this season. That much appears to be clear after his performance against Milwaukee. And while he hasn’t received much attention this offseason, Budinger could emerge as a key contributor within the second unit this season. He has one more chance to prove himself in the preseason on Friday night against the Chicago Bulls.
Until then we’ll leave fans with this as a reminder of the type of excitement Budinger could bring to the table if he stays healthy this season. Woody Harrelson would be proud.