John Blackwell tested the NBA draft waters, was evaluated, attended a variety of NBA team workouts, received feedback from scouts on how to improve for next year's draft, and is now back at Wisconsin. Greg Gard talked about his junior guard after yesterday's practice, and his words are exciting for Wisconsin fans. He had a lot to say, but in summary, he's ready to be the star for the Badgers this season.
Greg Gard on John Blackwell:
— Dillon Graff (@DillonGraff) July 18, 2025
“He’s bigger physically, he’s leaner, he’s really trimmed up… and he’s come with a more dominant mentality. You can see he has the ability to take over and really dominate games.” pic.twitter.com/G0H8ghyozg
"He's ready to dominate." Greg Gard tells the Wisconsin media about John Blackwell
Gard discussed Blackwell's preparation, focus, and leadership abilities. He is ready to be the junior guard that the Wisconsin Badgers need in 2025. He knows that without Tonje taking over the games that need to be taken over, that role will fall to Blackwell. At the same time, he won't have to do it alone and will have transfers Nick Boyd, Andrew Rohde, and Austin Rapp coming in. He also has returning star center Nolan Winter.
Here's what Greg Gard said about Blackwell:
"The confidence level [is great]. It could be the NBA experience that it brought that out of him or it's just going into year 3, crossing half-time of his career. You can see that he's bigger physically, he's leaner, he's really trimmed up, he's cut...he's come with a more dominant mentality. You can see when he plays that he has the ability to take over and really dominate games. "Greg Gard
This is high praise and should get Wisconsin fans hype for what this season could hold. The team is already starting to mesh even as they wait for the arrival of a couple of their new freshmen like Hayden Jones and Aleksas Bieliauskas (who is currently playing in FIBA U20). The chemistry is improving, and new point guard Nick Boyd is learning how to read his new teammates.