The Buck Stops Here #1: NBA Draft Day Roundtable

You’re in John Hammond’s shoes, it’s Draft Night and the Bucks have just been put on the clock. What do you do and why?

Adam McGee (@AdamMcGee11): It’s going to sound like a horrible cliché, but like every other team, the Bucks have to go with what, to the best of their judgement and research, seems best.

If it was me in that position I would certainly enter into discussions with teams like Phoenix, Boston and Denver to see if there was a possibility of trading down for two first rounders. The Bucks aren’t keen to bring three rookies in for next season, but bundling the two seconds with 10 could lead to two chances to find a diamond in the rough in the middle of the first.

Deals of that nature are generally tricky to pull off though, so the most likely option is making the pick.

In that case, I go with Wade Baldwin if available. We’ve all done so much talking about the right kind of point guard to slot into a lineup where Giannis handles the ball, and here we are looking at an ultra long guard who can shoot and defend. If they pass him up, I’m not sure when the next best chance to get a guy like that comes around.

John Heffernon (@Silky__Johnson_): I like that thought on turning our three draft picks into two 1st rounders. I would be all for that, especially because I am of the belief the players we could get at 11 through 16 are pretty similar to the player we could get at 10. It is just so hard to predict what options there are out there, however.

Because of that I will take the easy way out on this question and say I would just select someone with the 10th pick.

The person I would take (if he was available, of course) would be Henry Ellenson. I think the Bucks (and any team for that matter) could use a player like Ellenson to their advantage in the modern NBA. He definitely has the look and build of a stretch four but I think Ellenson would be a great fit for the Bucks at the center position (especially in smaller lineups, which for the Bucks are still pretty big because of a 7’0″ PG). His range would help stretch the floor and open up space for both Giannis and Jabari to operate. Basically most of the things that made Greg Monroe such a bad fit for the Bucks on offense are reasons why Ellenson is a pretty good fit.

Defensively, Ellenson leaves a lot to be desired. The combo of Jabari and Henry in the front court would be below average (at best). But I think he is worth the risk. He is still young and pretty athletic for his size. Maybe he can turn into an above average defender with hard work and good coaching.

Jordan Treske (@JordanTreske): I think Adam put it best that it would be in the team’s best interest to see what’s out there, to see what players teams are targeting in the draft, etc. That doesn’t mean you have to move your pick, but in the words of the great John Hammond, you have to do your due diligence.

In terms of picking someone at 10, I’d be fine with many of the players in that range. I certainly prefer some more than others like a Deyonta Davis, Wade Baldwin or Jakob Poeltl. I think all three would be great fits for the Bucks at their respective positions and we certainly solve a lot of problems for them as well.

To me, it’s just all a matter of who’s available by the time the Bucks are on the clock but either of those players would leave me satisfied.

Tim Wray (@TRW24): I agree with Adam too, I think the best possible trade scenario the Bucks could hope for would be to package all of their picks together and send them to either Denver for the 15th and 19th picks or to Boston for the 16th and 23rd picks. You could probably include Atlanta in that mix too, who acquired the 12th pick in the Jeff Teague-George Hill trade and also have their own 21st pick, both of which are reportedly available. With these options in mind, sending picks to Phoenix for the 13th and 28th selections seems like the most realistic outcome.

However, as Adam said, these types of deals are extremely difficult to pull off and that is compounded by the fact that the Bucks would be trying to sell more draft picks to most of the teams who already have too many. That being said, running with this scenario, this type of trade is seriously worth pursuing because the Bucks get another first rounder where they probably don’t want two second rounders and as John noted, there isn’t a massive gap in the skill level, talent or ceiling of someone the Bucks could take at 10 as opposed to most of the mid-first round.

If Milwaukee was able to pull off this sort of trade, then I’d probably lean towards drafting a versatile guard like Denzel Valentine or Wade Baldwin in the 12-16 range, especially considering that they’re probably the two best players in terms of fit for the Bucks in this draft. Obviously, given that they may not be available, I’d also be keeping an eye on Timothe Luwawu and Henry Ellenson here. Acquiring a pick in the mid-late first round would also open up the opportunity to take a gamble on developing Thon Maker, which is extremely enticing given his outlandish athleticism at 7’1″ and seemingly unlimited potential.

In all likelihood, the Bucks are going to play it safe and keep their pick, which isn’t a bad outcome at all. Whilst I have said that I like versatile guards like Denzel Valentine and Wade Baldwin, I’d probably take Jakob Poeltl ahead of them if he’s available, especially if Milwaukee is serious about trading Greg Monroe. Poeltl has a solid all-around game whilst giving the Bucks the defensive presence that was severely lacking for the most part last season.

AM: I’m really starting to feel like it’s going to be Deyonta Davis. I’m trying really hard to believe that’s the right pick too, but as of yet I’m just not seeing what everyone else seems to see in him. He’s super laid back to the point many scouts have described him as being lethargic during games, Tom Izzo has made statements about him “learning to work harder”, and then even if his potential ceiling is as high as many believe, how do we know he’ll get there considering personality type?

I know it’s a concern for many who’ve been following the draft closely, but that’s what I like about Wade Baldwin. He’s incredibly driven, maybe too much. He’s going to get on guys, he’s going to be aggressive, he’s a leader. That sort of drilled, competitive desire is engrained in him. His parents are an FBI agent and a DEA agent! Davis’ personality might be a more natural fit with what the Bucks currently have, but I feel like it’s time to throw some different types of voices into the mix with this team.

JH: The Izzo quotes are the first part of a longish list of things that scare me about Deyonta Davis. I realize every player has their flaws but Davis’ flaws negate his potential. He is not the hardest worker so how can he live up to his potential if he is not going to develop as a player.

I certainly wasn’t on the Baldwin train a month ago but I have been convinced he would be a great pick by many people’s points of view. He has a lot of the attributes and skills the Bucks need. I would have no problem with a Baldwin selection.

I really like Denzel Valentine. The only thing about him that concerns me is his defense. But as I showed in my own personal pick at 10 with Henry Ellenson, for reasons I cannot explain at all, I don’t care too much about defense in this draft. Valentine, like Baldwin, checks a lot of the boxes for the Bucks. At the same time he is super versatile on offense which I like a lot.

Jakob Poeltl is the player I am having the hardest time with. Like two weeks ago (and maybe this is still accurate today) more draft experts had mocked Poeltl to the Bucks at 10 than any other player. He can help this team with or without Monroe. Something in my gut tells me Poeltl wouldn’t be the right pick but I don’t have evidence from his game or his behavior to give me a cause for concern.

JT: We may have our preferences, but can we all agree that we want no part of Dejounte Murray, especially at 10?

It isn’t necessarily about who he is as a player, but if he were to go the Bucks at 10, it would leave me very concerned that they haven’t learned from their mistakes yet.

JH: I don’t like Dejounte Murray at 10. I think he is very worthy of a second round pick. I don’t see why anyone would draft him before pick 25. If the Bucks need to take a guard then I would so much rather see them spend the 10th pick on Wade Baldwin, Denzel Valentine, or Malik Beasley. Shoot, I would rather the Bucks take Tyler Ulis at 10 than Dejounte Murray! I think Ulis is a much better fit for the Bucks and I like the way he plays ball. Ulis is only going in the second round in mocks though and I don’t understand why it isn’t the same for Murray.

If I had to rank all the guards the Bucks could select at 10 in order of how much I want the Bucks to select them it would be:

1) Denzel Valentine
2) Malik Beasley
3) Timothe Luwawu
4) Wade Baldwin
5) Tyler Ulis
6) Demetrius Jackson
7) Dejounte Murray

I would be happy with any of my top four guards going at 10. Anyone else I would consider to be a major reach (and I think most people would consider Beasley a major reach).

AM: I like most of the guys on that list, although I definitely wouldn’t order them like that! Saying that, I’m also very opposed to the idea of Murray. He’s like hitting the reset on MCW in pursuit of an even rawer version. None of us need to go through that.

Next: Fit or Best Player Available?