Eric Engelbart
The Milwaukee Bucks are like the NBA version of Friday Night Lights at the moment. The team is just coming off of a playoff season with a new coach who was a Hall of Fame caliber NBA player, a season in which the team's much-lauded, great hope of a rookie sensation suffered a horrendous injury, and the team's mercurial best defensive player disappeared off of the face of the Earth. Meanwhile, the team is under new ownership, has a new logo and a new court, and there is an abundance of political turmoil surrounding their new arena situation, and there's the disheartening possibility that the city will lose the team.
Despite all of these storylines, there is a great buzz around the team, support is reaching a fever pitch, and even attendance numbers are on the rise. The biggest reason for this resurgence is the team's actual commitment to the rebuilding process, rather than following the "win now" mantra that they did for decades with former owner Herb Kohl (although ironically they nearly had home court advantage in the weak east). Instead of overpaying veterans like Drew Gooden or John Salmons this offseason, the team is finally following the Oklahoma City Thunder model of building a contender through drafting young talent. (Although, also, ironically, we’ve received Caron Butler in the Ersan Ilyasova trade, which is to cut salary so we can overpay a free agent to try to win now.)
The only thing the Bucks are missing is a young center, which is a need that they can fill in Thursday's NBA Draft. The team has a great young core, with three starters who are bound to be together for years and years to come: 20 year old power forward Jabari Parker, 20 year old small forward Giannis Antetekounmpo, and 23 year old shooting guard Khris Middleton. The team also has 23 year old point guard Michael Carter-Williams as an asset, but it's unclear whether he's been cemented as a fixture for the future, considering he has a very low ceiling on the offensive side of the ball.
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Tomorrow night, the Bucks have the 17th pick in the NBA Draft. It's interesting to note that the two best players to go 17th in the NBA Draft in recent memory are defensive-minded power forwards, Shawn Kemp and Jermaine O'Neal. The team is in an interesting position with the 17th pick, as Milwaukee may benefit from another team passing up a gem and letting a future fixture slip through their hands.
On the other hand, there has been much talk of the Bucks trying to trade up. If they're to try and trade up, the best assets they can dangle are John Henson, O.J Mayo (who only has one year remaining on his contract and can provide shooting), the L.A Clippers 2017 1st round draft pick, and possibly the aforementioned Michael Carter-Williams. It seems that the only way Carter-Williams will be included in a trade is if Hammond has his eye on a point guard prospect, namely the fearless, John Wall-esque Emmanuel Mudiay or Murray State standout Cameron Payne, who are the only two PGs slated to be drafted in the top 10.
First, let's consider if the Bucks stay at #17. It seems clear that the Bucks biggest deficiency is at center, as they miraculously were able to finish 2nd in the NBA last season in defensive efficiency with Zaza Pachulia starting at center. Zaza isn't a bad defensive player necessarily, but his Defensive Rebound % and Block % were both well below league average.
GM John Hammond has stated that rather than drafting based on need, he'll be looking to draft the best player on the board with the 17th pick. Hammond says the front office has narrowed their choices down to "four players, five max," and here are the players he's probably thinking of:
Rashad Vaughn, SG, UNLV
Rashad Vaughn doesn't fit the Bucks immediate needs, unless they're thinking of a long-term replacement for O.J Mayo backing up Middleton at shooting guard. He was the second leading freshmen scorer in the NCAA last season, and he's got a great fundamental shooting touch.
Tyus Jones, PG, Duke
Tyus Jones simply knows how to win. As Duke Coach Mike Kryzyzewski recently told Dana O'Neil of ESPN: "He's a steady winner. That's what he does, he wins." Though Jones doesn't have the ceiling of teammates Jahill Okafor and Justise Winslow (who will both be selected within the first ten picks in the draft), Jones won the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player and demonstrated an intangible ability to rise to the occasion. If the Bucks don't see MCW as a longterm fit, they are most likely looking at this kid.
Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA
The Bucks have been linked to Looney for a while, although he's projected to go a bit lower than 17th in the draft. Looney, a Milwaukee native, seems to have the outside shooting touch that the team lost when they traded Ersan Ilyasova, and has the outstanding length that the team seems to gravitate towards.
Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville
Of all the potential 17th picks, Montrezl Harrell is far and away the best fit for the Bucks. He is only 6"8 but has an enormous wingspan which allows him to play larger. He's a stud as far as rebounding goes, he can stretch the floor with his above-average shooting ability, he doesn't demand touches, and he's strong enough to defend in the post. He's undersized for an NBA C, but so was Ben Wallace, and he was the best defensive player in the NBA for 3+ seasons.
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Moving Up In The Draft
Now let's consider the dream scenario, in which the Bucks swing for the fences (whoops, wrong sport) and are able to move up in the draft. There have been a number of rumors about the Bucks shopping around to move up in the draft, which would mean they're enamored with a bigman in particular.
NBA insider Alex Kennedy tweeted yesterday:
There are three draft prospects in particular who would fit that description:
Bobby Portis, PF/C, Arkansas
Bobby Portis was last year's SEC Player of the Year, he runs the floor like a gazelle, he can stretch the floor, he's a high character guy, and he's already a good size for an NBA C but still growing.
Also, Bucks scouting director Billy McKinney seems to have taken a shine to Portis. McKinney told Gery Wolfel of the Racine Journal Times recently, "(Portis) has great versatility on both sides of the ball, he's a guy that can play the four and five."
Portis is mocked to go between 11-16 in the draft, so the Bucks would have to move up to see him in their new uniforms. Or, the Bucks could luck out, retain their trade assets, and watch Portis could slip all the way to 17.
Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky
Trey Lyles was overshadowed by an extraordinarily talented Kentucky frontcourt, but would be going much higher in the draft had he been the #1 option on his NCAA team. He has his limitations, namely a lack of athleticism and shotblocking ability, but he's a strong rebounder and has a polished offensive game for a big man straight out of college.
Myles Turner, C, Texas
Myles Turner is not going to slip down to 17. He's the third most sought-after center prospect in the draft behind consensus top pick Karl Anthony-Towns and international sensation Kristaps Porzingis (who is much hyped but may turn out to be a bust- remember Yi Jianlian and Nikoloz Tskitishvili?)
Turner averaged almost 3 blocks a game in college, while shooting 83.9% from the freethrow line and demonstrating an ability to hit threes, as he was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Turner seems to have that rare combination of work ethic, motor, and potential that could result in him developing into one of the best big men in the NBA. Pair him with Jabari, Giannis and company, and the Bucks could be a force in the weak Eastern Conference for the better part of a decade.
Second Round
Milwaukee controls the 46th pick in the second round of Thursday's draft.
The Bucks have had some good luck with their second-round draft picks in recent memory, including Ramon Sessions, Jodie Meeks, and Michael Redd, along with last year's pick Damien Inglis (although he missed the entirety of the 2014-15 season with a foot injury.)
As far as this year goes, team brass seems to like UNLV swingman Christian Wood, who was brought in for a workout on Monday, but he may be off the board by the time the Bucks are at the podium.
Other intriguing possibilities are college scoring machine Joseph Young (who almost lead Oregon to an upset of the Badgers in last year's NCAA tournament), hulking Kentucky backup center Dakari Johnson, or underrated Tennessee Volunteers shooting guard Josh Richardson.
Final Verdict
The draft could go two ways tomorrow night for the Milwaukee Bucks: They could take the best player available, or they could make a big splash and complete their young core with one last key piece.
If the Bucks are able to land Portis or Turner, the night will be a huge success. If the Bucks draft a guard who doesn't go by the name of Mudiay or Payne in the first round, consider the night a C- at best.
Alternatively, if the Bucks use MCW to trade up for Mudiay or Payne, they can complete the 2015 starting lineup with free agent Greek center Kosta Koufos who demonstrated the ability to anchor a defense backing up Marc Gasol in Memphis last season, or defensive stalwart Tyson Chandler, who's been linked to the team as well.
Either way, there's a lot of excitement building up to tomorrow night, and the Bucks are surrounded by more questions, intrigue, and bombast than they have been since the era of the Big Three.
