Milwaukee Bucks: Prospect quotes show Bucks stock is rising

The nice things NBA Draft prospects are saying about the Milwaukee Bucks show that the team’s reputation is on the rise.

There was a time, not too long ago, when the Milwaukee Bucks were viewed like a punishment for potential NBA draftees. The Bucks were never all that good, they didn’t seem to have a clear plan in place to improve, and plus Milwaukee tends to get a little cold during the NBA season.

Oh how things have changed. The Bucks are just getting into the heart of workout season, but already some visiting prospects have shared some very nice thoughts on Milwaukee and on the Bucks.

Oregon’s Tyler Dorsey, a Greek-American who knows Giannis Antetokounmpo, said “it’s exciting to even have the opportunity to maybe play with Giannis and the Bucks.”

Kansas State’s Wesley Iwundu was one of a number of prospects who referenced Malcolm Brogdon‘s path as a four-year college player who’s now making it in a big way with the Bucks during his draft workout.

Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes had similarly nice things to say about Brogdon, who Hayes recognized as being in the running for Rookie of the Year this season.

Maybe the best bit of praise thus far has come from Lonzo Ball’s teammate at UCLA, T.J. Leaf. Leaf said he “would love to play in Milwaukee,” citing the new stadium being on the way and saying he would fit in well with Giannis and Jabari Parker on the floor.

In that same video, Kansas’ Frank Mason III shouted out the Bucks young talent, great players and coach Jason Kidd. Ivan Rabb spoke highly of the Bucks bigs, saying they play with intensity and skill. Devin Robinson even mentioned the Bucks length, and said he would fit in perfectly in Milwaukee for that reason.

This is almost weird territory for the Bucks. Obviously Milwaukee got lucky with Giannis wanting to play in Milwaukee for a long time and Jabari seemingly wanting to be taken by the Bucks second overall back in 2014, and those two players have now opened the door to more and more prospects wanting to become Milwaukee Bucks on draft day.

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Much was made about Greg Monroe‘s decision to pick the Bucks two years ago, which also served to prove that success and the potential for further success now mean more to players than ancient NBA history or getting to a warmer climate.

NBA players these days realize that being on a good team is a great thing for them monetarily. How often do role players from title teams get paid excessive amounts of money, much of it coming thanks to their chances to shine on the biggest stages the NBA has to offer?

Sometimes it’s the title team themselves paying to keep a player, like the Cleveland Cavaliers with J.R. Smith. Sometimes another team will poach somebody, like the Dallas Mavericks with Harrison Barnes.

Next: Mock Draft 1.0: Projecting The Draft Now That The Order Is Set

Whatever the case may be, players are becoming just as interested in winning as teams and fans are, especially when it comes to picking a destination. The Bucks stock going up in those players eyes can only be a good thing going forward as Milwaukee looks for ways to add talent without further breaking the bank.