Milwaukee Bucks: Malcolm Brogdon is proof the second round is important

Even without a top selection in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks can help themselves by doing well with both of their picks.

It can be difficult to get excited about the NBA Draft for fans of teams outside of the lottery. For those teams with a shot at a top pick, even a small one, the NBA Draft Lottery is a thrilling event with a lot of upside.

That’s because most coverage of the draft focuses on the top prospects available. Markelle Fultz, Josh Jackson and especially Lonzo Ball get all of the headlines. Even beyond the Big Baller Brand headlines, Lonzo gets tons of attention.

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It’s the same year after year. Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram got the headlines last year, but neither of them played nearly as much of a role in the 2016-17 NBA season as Malcolm Brogdon did.

Brogdon was not one of the prospects getting a lot of buzz before the draft. 2016’s 36th overall pick wasn’t a household name–not until he became a starter on a playoff team some six months after being drafted.

So while the Milwaukee Bucks may not have two of the best picks in the draft, it’s obvious from Brogdon’s selection alone that there is talent hidden throughout both rounds. He wasn’t the first good player to fall far further than he should’ve, though.

The Bucks have both the 17th pick and the 47th pick in this year’s draft. In the 2017 NBA All-Star game, three All-Stars were picked at or after the 47th overall spot: Paul Millsap, Isaiah Thomas and Marc Gasol.

Another four went after 17 but before 47 overall: DeAndre Jordan, Kyle Lowry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. Out of 25 All-Stars, seven were taken at or after the 17th overall pick. While the chances of grabbing a star in the first few rounds are much higher, talented players can be added from the first pick to the 60th, as proven by Isaiah Thomas.

Smart teams can find talent just about anywhere in the draft. Even if they’re not All-Stars, finding a serviceable role player outside of the lottery is a huge boon for any team. Draft picks are cost-controlled and can be locked up for eight years before hitting unrestricted free agency, giving teams extra control of and flexibility in their roster.

Even a discount free agent is going to be far more expensive than a draft pick, in almost any circumstance. Adding talent is important no matter what the price is, but good teams typically have max salary players that make them good.

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There aren’t a ton of options to surround those stars with good players once teams get capped out. The absolute best teams can get skilled veterans on minimum deals, but that’s not typically a reliable way to add talent for teams outside of Cleveland and Golden State.

The Bucks are not on that level, despite the respect that’s growing for Milwaukee around the NBA. Nailing draft picks is going to be essentially for the Bucks to fill out their roster.

The last NBA Draft was huge for that purpose. Both Thon Maker and Malcolm Brogdon figure to be key role players at worst for the Bucks going forward. Adding another one or two useful young guys would really make Milwaukee a deep team, at relatively low cost.

Next: 2017 NBA Draft Big Board 1.0

Even though the Bucks won’t talk away from the 2017 NBA Draft with a hyped prospect like Lonzo Ball, they could still make moves that will have a huge impact on the team’s future success.

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