Most will remember it as the game in which the Nets rested players and were fined $100,000.
For Jalen Wilson, that Dec. 27 loss to the Bucks helped build a foundation.
He was tasked, at times, with defending Giannis Antetokounmpo — something he’s “always wanted to do,” Wilson said that day.
He poured in 21 points across 30 minutes, grabbed 10 rebounds and converted all 11 free throws. It was a fleeting window of opportunity for the second-round pick from last June’s draft, but Wilson turned that into a push for more minutes.
He’s an experienced rookie, someone who won a national title at Kansas but also stayed for four years.
In the era of one-and-dones and transfers, that’s an exception. But those extra seasons with the Jayhawks helped Wilson unlock the final elements — 3-point shooting and defense — required to help him make, and possibly stick in, the NBA.
In 16 NBA games this season, Wilson has averaged 5.5 points and 2.6 rebounds, but across 11 games with G-League Long Island, those numbers ballooned to 19.3 and 7.6.
First-round pick Noah Clowney has logged just seven games without any concrete impact.
Dariq Whitehead, selected one spot after Clowney, only appeared in two games and underwent season-ending shin surgery in January.
So if the Nets’ season spirals out of control and their fading hopes for a play-in tournament spot disappear, Wilson — one year older than budding star Cam Thomas and just one year younger than starting center Nic Claxton — could benefit from any shift toward development.
“He’s kind of dealt with every responsibility in every situation,” Grant Long, Wilson’s coach at John H. Guyer High School in Texas, told The Post. “So I think that’s had a huge impact on whatever NBA team he’s on, whatever role he has. He’s ready and experienced for it.”
At this point, it’s all about deciphering the complex factors of lasting in the NBA.
The trade deadline — when the Nets shipped Royce O’Neale to the Suns — opened up minutes for Wilson, and he’s played at least the final six minutes of the fourth quarter in each of the Nets’ past four games.
He’s tried to “find those windows” on offense alongside established contributors.
When the Nets mounted a comeback Tuesday, Wilson drilled a 3-pointer and then fed Mikal Bridges on the next possession for another 3 to keep their deficit at six.
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“It just always feels good when the coaches trust,” Wilson said following the game. “That’s what everyone works for, is to go out there and compete in the biggest moments.”
Wilson emerged as that type of player across his final two seasons with the Jayhawks, especially when he returned for a fourth season and channeled second-round draft grades into one final encore.
All Wilson needed was for an NBA team to notice.
When Wilson started at Kansas, director of sports performance Ramsey Nijem — who’d previously worked for the Sacramento Kings — helped him add lateral quickness, making up for any possible lack of speed.
Then, Wilson adjusted when teams isolated his matchup defensively.
He perfected guarding ball screens, too.
The final piece, though, was the 3-point shooting.
His attempts from beyond the arc in 2022-23 nearly doubled from 114 to 208.
His conversion percentage rose from 26.3 to 33.7, too.
The Jayhawks used a variety of shooting drills to help Wilson attempt as many shots as possible, including Celtic — where Wilson needed to make consecutive shots from a 3-point spot before shifting to another one, with the goal to hit 10 locations in two minutes.
He ended up reaching around 13 and NBA scouts noticed his strides.
“That’s when I said, ‘God, this kid might really have a chance,’ ” Kansas assistant coach Kurtis Townsend said. “And then when he started playing and he was a first-team All-American, everybody was talking about him — then it was, you knew he had a real chance.”
Sixteen NBA games won’t translate to longevity. It’s a start, but with the Nets starting to reshape their roster, Wilson’s window of opportunity could slam shut depending on transactions.
Still, he could become the “3-and-D guy,” Long said.
Maybe the double-double guy — just like in that first expanded action the Bucks.
And if the Nets keep searching for a way to have young players remain part of their core, then that could become Wilson’s personal blueprint.
“He knows if he can defend and rebound, along with his offensive skills, he can play a big role on whatever team he’s on,” Long said.
