The Badgers got their star back after he withdrew from the NBA Draft.
The Wisconsin Badgers got some major news on Wednesday, as star guard John Blackwell withdrew from the 2025 NBA Draft and elected to return to Madison for his junior season.
Blackwell had chosen to test the NBA waters earlier this offseason, but remained adamant that it was either the professional route or a return to Wisconsin. He never entered the transfer portal, despite likely being able to field lucrative offers, and now is immediately an All-Big Ten first-team consideration for the 2025-26 season.
Blackwell had his breakout campaign as a sophomore, cracking the starting lineup and averaging 15.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while serving as the second-leading scorer behind star John Tonje.
Now, he’ll return to a much different Badgers roster that lost 10 players from a season ago, prompting them to be serious players in the transfer portal.
With Blackwell back in the fold, Wisconsin has its final piece of the rotation set. So, let’s break down what the rotation and starting five look like now.
Starters
Nick Boyd
John Blackwell
Andrew Rohde
Austin Rapp
Nolan Winter
Blackwell slots right back into the starting backcourt with his return, only it seems to be in a different role than he had last season. Without a true point guard in the starting lineup last year, Blackwell played more of a ball-handling role, getting out of his comfort zone to lead the offense alongside Max Klesmit.
Now, with San Diego State transfer Nick Boyd in the fold, Blackwell can play more off the ball and maximize his talents as a scorer. That’s not to say the junior won’t have the ball in his hands much, but rather, he’ll be put in spots that can better increase his efficiency and limit the shots off the dribble where he wasn’t as effective last year.
Wisconsin has a trio of quality playmakers in its projected starting lineup with Boyd, Blackwell, and Andrew Rohde, who averaged over four assists per game at Virginia last season.
Add in Austin Rapp and his 3.5 assists per game, and Wisconsin has a good, ball-distributing, five-out lineup for next season.
Defense, especially in the paint, will be this team’s question mark. Will Rapp and Winter be able to guard fives in the Big Ten? Will the other have the foot speed to keep up with smaller fours? Wisconsin will have to figure that out because there’s not much ready-now depth in the frontcourt this season.
Bench
Zach Kinziger
Jack Janicki
Braeden Carrington
Aleksas Bieliauskas
Riccardo Greppi
Wisconsin had a strong, experienced bench last season with Kamari McGee, Carter Gilmore, Xavier Amos, Jack Janicki, and Markus Illver.
Four of those five are gone this season, so the Badgers are relying on newcomers to fill the void. Janicki should take a step up in role after flashing and getting more comfortable last season.
Carrington is a back-of-the-bench wing who should get minutes as a defender and an off-ball streaky shooter. Bieliauskas is an unknown right now, but he’ll be tasked with stepping up and playing immediately off the bench, given the state of the bench currently.
That’s only eight players. I think Wisconsin ultimately goes with nine this season, with the final spot possibly heading to Zach Kinziger. He’s a smaller guard currently and may not be physically ready for the Big Ten, but his knack for scoring should provide a big boost offensively. Wisconsin needs that type of player off the bench.
Greppi could be an option, but he didn’t seem close to ready last season. Maybe he gets thrown in there early because Wisconsin needs size at the rim, but he may need some more time in his development.
The Badgers still have another spot to use for the 2025-26 season. Perhaps that will provide a contributor who is ready to play now. But, for now, this is what the rotation looks like heading into the fall.