Maybe Jan. 2, 2015, will be remembered as the date of a memorable launch.
For starters, John Henson was grateful for the uplifting experience that day provided for him.
Henson, who had been sidelined for 13 of the Milwaukee Bucks’ first 27 games of the 2014-15 season with a left foot sprain, converted 6-of-9 shots from the field and 2-of-4 from the free-throw line, and collected season highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds during Milwaukee’s 94-91 home defeat to the Indiana Pacers.
The double-double was the first of the season for the 6-10 forward/center, who led the Bucks with 11 of them during the 2013-14 campaign.
It rewarded the perseverance he has shown since beginning the longest inactive stretch of his career when he sprained his foot during a Nov. 25 game against the Detroit Pistons.
“I’d never been out for this long before,” Henson said. “It was a new experience for me. It helped revitalize me mentally and let me see how fragile this game is.
“I think that’s part of the reason for my renewed energy. You can’t take this game for granted. I might have done that a little bit before, but now I’m back and happy to be back out there.”
Henson’s performance was welcomed by Bucks Head Coach Jason Kidd, who alternated him with Zaza Pachulia at the center position while Larry Sanders missed his fifth consecutive game due to a personal matter.
“This is John,” Kidd said. “This is him playing and knowing that he’s going to be out there, understanding his role, but getting minutes where he knows it’s between him and ‘Z.’ A player tends to shine a little bit better.”
“He didn’t do anything different tonight. Since he’s been back, this is the way he’s been playing. He was one of the bright spots for us tonight.”
Henson returned to action Dec. 26 at Atlanta to collect five points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a 107-77 Bucks victory.
He followed up that performance with five points, five rebounds and five rejections in 19 minutes during Milwaukee’s 90-85 home loss to Atlanta, then came up with 11 points, four rebounds and five more blocks in 21 minutes during the Bucks’ 104-94 victory at Charlotte on Dec. 29.
Henson’s play against Indiana in the Bucks’ first game of the new year, though, represented the high point of his season thus far. And Kidd wasn’t the only one taking notice.
“I bring a presence and John brings a different kind of presence for a big man – something the team needs,” Pachulia said. “He has physical presence, length, shot-blocking ability. I think we’re both good passers.
“Not only tonight, but for the last couple of games, he has played very well. That’s been great to see. He went through his [injury] and things didn’t look good, but he got it back. Sometimes injuries help you to get your mind right and get your energy back. He’s responded. He’s been playing well off the bench.
“We need John. We need everybody.”
Henson would have felt better about his performance if the Bucks had won the game, but he was rightfully encouraged after getting extended minutes and making a substantial contribution to his team.
“I got back in a rhythm and my teammates were looking for me,” Henson said. “Everything I do is based off of them, so that was good.”
Henson’s national emergence as a game-changer dates all the way back to his middle teens.
He capped a stellar prep career by averaging 17.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 6.1 blocks per game as a senior at Sickles High School in Tampa, Fla. He blocked 10 or more shots five times with a high of 11 on four occasions as a senior. He was a first-team all-state selection, the Tampa Bay Coaches Association Player of the Year and competed in the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Nike Hoop Summit. He also earned First Team All-America honors from Parade Magazine.
Henson averaged 5.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while starting as a freshman for the University of North Carolina in 2009-10. Playing alongside current Bucks teammate Kendall Marshall, Henson was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in both his sophomore and junior seasons with the Tar Heels, averaging 11 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in 2010-11 and 13.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in 2011–12.
The Bucks selected Henson with the 14th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and he proceeded to average 6.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 63 games as an NBA rookie in 2012-13.
His debut pro season was highlighted by a 17-point, 25-rebound, 7-block outing against the Orlando Magic on April 10, 2013.
Henson’s playing time more than doubled from his first pro season to his second, when he logged 1,856 minutes and upped his production to 11.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 70 contests.
Henson’s mission as he set out on his third NBA go-round – and his first with Kidd as his coach – was pretty simplistic.
“I just have to go out and play hard,” Henson said. “In my rookie year, I didn’t know what I was going to be. I had no idea. You just have to go into training camp and hopefully be in a position to help the team. You’ve just got to go in with positive thoughts and do as much as you can to show the coaching staff what you can do.
“I’m finally starting to adjust to the pace. It’s taken a couple of years to learn what to do offensively and defensively, what coaches look for, what players look for. It took a while, but I’m looking forward to the transition into this year. It should be fun.”
Henson has enjoyed being reunited with Marshall, who was awarded to Milwaukee on a waiver claim on July 20, 2014.
“I think he’ll be good for us,” Henson said. “Everybody likes a guy who can pass. I think he’ll always have a place around here with me on this team. It’s always good to have guys you’ve played with before. They know you a little bit. So that’ll be cool.
“I think it’ll help us out a lot as a team to have a guy like him, especially if we’re struggling offensively because he can get everyone the ball.”
The Bucks, with their Dec. 29 victory at Charlotte, earned their 16th victory of the season, surpassing the 15 they posted during the entire 2013-14 campaign. If the playoffs had begun Jan. 1, Milwaukee would have owned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Henson credits the Bucks’ success to their commitment to teamwork.
“We’re moving the ball around and playing for each other and playing the right way,” he said. “We’re one of the toughest teams in the league to stop when we’re doing that on a consistent basis.”