MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Badgers (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten) will enter the second half of the conference schedule with the highest winning percentage (.773) of any Badger team since the 2014-15 group that made the National Final.

Plenty of ink has been spilt on the offensive boom, the duo of John Blackwell and John Tonje, and even Steven Crowl’s on-and-off play.

But the most impactful yet under-discussed player on the team has been forward Nolan Winter, who’s added an entire new offensive dimension to his game without sacrificing efficiency, all while providing a possible look at the future of the center position at Wisconsin.

The 7-footer spent his freshman season backing up Crowl at center, spending the vast majority of his time in the post. But when Tyler Wahl graduated and Winter was vocal about his desire to replace him at power forward, the coaches encouraged him.

“It’s just trusting my abilities and trusting the confidence I’ve worked up throughout my high school and AAU days, knowing I can put the ball on the floor and be a point guard,” Winter said.

“That’s what the coaches are telling me, ‘Just get it out of your mind that you’re a big man and start playing more like a guard.’”

When given the chance to handle the ball and show off his guard abilities this season, Winter’s took advantage, as we saw on many plays against Butler in December.

However, in this year’s offense, Winter doesn’t really have to handle the ball or be a guard. He has players like Tonje, Blackwell and Kamari McGee to do that.

What truly separates Winter from past Badger bigs is what’s become the most important trait in their offense. He’s shooting 39.6 percent from 3, in addition to a superb 70.9 percent on 2-pointers.

Even by just standing in the corner, Winter is creating space in the offense that’s essential for the backcourt’s ability to drive to the basket.

When asked about his development, Winter constantly credited his father, Trevor Winter, who played at Minnesota from 1993-97. The fellow 7-footer spent his career as a back-to-the-basket center, and was later instrumental in establishing a mean streak in his son.

“He’s had the biggest impact on me… He’s been through this. He’s been through the Big Ten season. He’s done it for four years, and in the 90s, where they could beat each other up a little bit more and they didn't call all the fouls.

“He just instilled, at a young age, the physicality and the rebounding. A lot of my IQ I have of the game, it’s just from sitting down watching college basketball games with my dad. And he’s pausing the TV, showing me stuff. So all the credit in the world goes to him and my mom for instilling everything in me. A lot of the IQ I have is from them,” Winter said.

Winter could have followed in his father’s footsteps and stayed close to the basket, but both of them agreed about the importance of him evolving his game.

“He knows it’s a new era in basketball, and he knows what it takes to get to the next level. Nowadays, there’s not a ton of just big body, backdown five-men. I mean, they’re out there and there’s for-sure skilled ones. But in this day and age, you have to be able to step out and shoot the 3 and put the ball on the deck. He loves to see that and he loves that I’m working on it,” Winter said.

Because of the veterans around him this season, Winter will have the freedom to pick and choose his spots, or even stand in the corner when it’s convenient. But this is Crowl’s last year of eligibility. When he and Carter Gilmore leave in the offseason, the only remaining members of the front court rotation will be Winter and Xavier Amos.

This is all to say — Winter may have to become the center of Wisconsin’s future. This seemed like the expected path last season, but that’s not the direction Winter has trended towards since.

If Winter is put in that position, he’ll have to hope he’s physically ready. All this time spent on the perimeter could prove detrimental to his development as a center, especially in a conference like the Big Ten.

Or, perhaps his current role is closer to what we’ll expect from the center position going forward.

Winter has succeeded in every role the coaches have placed him in so far. While another major change would be difficult, his history provides optimism.

“I’m just gonna keep striving in both of those skills, wherever the coaches put me, I’ll be ready to compete there at the highest level.

“When the offseason does come, it’ll be a big point of emphasis for me to still be able to stretch it out. I still want to get way better at putting the ball on the floor and having that confidence that I can just drive by people. At the same time, [I have to] improve my game inside. When I go home, I’m gonna have both skills ready and upgraded. So that when I come back, wherever they do put me, I’ll be ready to go.”

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