The Milwaukee Bucks get their 2016 Summer League campaign underway in Las Vegas on Friday evening, but who will be suiting up for their team?
It’s time for Milwaukee Bucks basketball!
Sure, the return of the NBA season proper and the full collective of Bucks players remains almost four months away, but some of Milwaukee’s young guns will be in action at Summer League in Las Vegas over the coming days.
Headlined by 2016 draft picks Thon Maker and Malcolm Brogdon, along with the 17th pick from 2015 Rashad Vaughn, Milwaukee has put together an intriguing mix of young talent for their entry for the annual showcase event.
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Not only will Summer League provide the likes of that aforementioned young trio of Bucks a chance to improve their game, grow comfortable in an NBA environment and stake a claim for a role in the rotation next year, but it also present a potentially life-changing opportunity for those in attendance on invites.
For players who have yet to make it and secure big pay days in the NBA, Summer League represents a high profile audition. Not only can lower profile free agents earn themselves NBA contracts, but they could secure a lucrative pay day in Europe or a stepping stone opportunity with a D-League team.
With a mix of undrafted high performers at the college level, veterans of professional basketball across the globe and those who have just never quite reached their potential, there’s a chance that Milwaukee’s roster could contain a diamond in the rough.
Who exactly makes up the 13-man squad though? Let’s get to know them a little better.
Next: Ra'Shad James
Ra’Shad James
Guard – 6’1″
Ra’Shad James has, like many of the players who will be in action at Summer League, taken the long road around in hopes of earning an opportunity to show what he can do in the NBA.
Likely most familiar with NBA viewers for his spells in the D-League in recent seasons, the former Iona Gael is an explosive athlete for his size and a scoring guard who is certainly more than capable of catching the eye with his direct and aggressive style of play.
Solid if unspectacular with Sacramento and Portland at Summer League in the past two years, James has plied his trade with the likes of the Reno Bighorns, the Westchester Knicks, as well as in Poland and South Korea in that timeframe.
It was arguably in the D-League with the Westchester Knicks last year that James was most impressive. In his 15 games with Westchester, James averaged 16.5 points on over 50 percent shooting from the field and over 36 percent from deep. If this Bucks squad needs a scoring spark, he could be the guy they turn to.
Next: Travis Trice
Travis Trice
Guard – 6’2″
A former Michigan State Spartan who went undrafted in last summer’s draft, Travis Trice landed on his feet with the Westchester Knicks and became a vital cog for one of the D-League’s very best teams last season.
Trice played in 49 games with the Knicks affiliate and was a consistently productive presence. Averages of 15.3 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals made for a particularly impressive return for his first professional season.
Those numbers were no accident either. Trice’s role grew in importance throughout his four seasons as a Spartan, and in his final year under Tom Izzo’s guidance he proved what he could do by racking up 15.3 points, 5.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest.
Trice is a steady and reliable point guard option, and at only 23 years old, he could still have a bright future ahead of him in an NBA rotation. Don’t be surprised if Trice sees a lot of minutes running the point during Milwaukee’s Summer League campaign.
Next: Malcolm Brogdon
Malcolm Brogdon
Guard – 6’5″
Taken by the Bucks with the 36th overall pick of this year’s draft, hopes (and increasingly expectations) are high for what Malcolm Brogdon will bring to the mix not only for Summer League, but to Milwaukee’s NBA roster proper too.
A player who plays with the kind of polish that only comes with time, practice and quality coaching, Brogdon’s four years at Virginia were clearly time well spent. Brogdon carries himself like a veteran, and I’m sure the Bucks will hope to see evidence of his leadership even at this early juncture.
From a skill point of view, Brogdon shot 39.1 percent from three-point range in his final season as a Cavalier, while putting together a season that saw him named as the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Defensive Player of the Year too.
If Brogdon can produce that same high level “three-and-D” play, and maybe even more, he’ll be setting himself up for a meaningful and immediate role with the Bucks next season. I wouldn’t put it past him either.
Next: Rashad Vaughn
Rashad Vaughn
Guard – 6’6″
This is an important exercise in confidence building for the 17th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Vaughn put on some very promising displays at Summer League last year, but subsequently failed to look even remotely comfortable when the NBA season rolled around.
This competition should give Vaughn some respite, as he will often be the best player on the court and is certainly not playing under the pressure of competing for his immediate future like so many others in Las Vegas will be.
The Bucks will hope that Vaughn who was among the youngest rookies in last year’s class will be better just for having a year under his belt, and if that is the case, it could manifest itself in a number of areas of the former UNLV man’s game.
Most importantly, Vaughn needs to rediscover his shooting touch (30.5 percent from field, 29.3 percent from deep last season), but seeing him embrace responsibility in the backcourt and take on a playmaking role would be a very welcome sight too.
Next: Julyan Stone
Julyan Stone
Guard – 6’6″
At 27 years old, time is starting to tick down for Julyan Stone, yet unlike so many others at LVSL he’s been lucky enough to get a taste of the NBA before. The Bucks will be hoping that has created a deep hunger in him to return to the big time.
Stone went undrafted out of the University of Texas and El Paso back in 2011, but was snapped up in early December of that year by the Denver Nuggets, who had obviously seen potential in the long, rangy guard.
Considering Stone’s relatively modest play during his time in college, the NBA opportunity came as a bit of a surprise to many. Perhaps Stone was one of those too, as in spite of two seasons with the Nuggets and one with the Toronto Raptors, he never came close to carving out a role for himself.
Now, armed with the experience of playing professionally in Italy and Turkey in the time since, Stone is set for another run at the NBA. He’ll be one of the more experienced players on the Bucks roster, and so if he wants another shot, he’ll certainly have to stand out considering the company he’ll be keeping.
Next: Steve Sir
Steve Sir
Forward – 6’6″
Thon Maker aside, Steve Sir’s involvement in Milwaukee’s Summer League squad is comfortably the most remarkable story on Milwaukee’s roster. It’s rare for a 33 year old to get a Summer League audition for an NBA role but that’s exactly what Sir now has.
The Canadian is an all-time great shooter, although he isn’t necessarily a household name. Sir is the NCAA’s all-time leader in three-point percentage (46.8 percent), looking down on names like Steve Novak and Kyle Korver who slot in at seventh and 10th respectively.
The NBA dream never fell into place for Sir, but he has been busy plying his trade around the globe as a professional for the best part of a decade, taking in stops in Mexico, Canada, Switzerland and Romania.
Sir will be on hand to offer lights out shooting and veteran leadership to a team of players who will mostly be close to a decade his junior. If his shooting is as good as it once was, who knows, maybe the impossible could still prove possible for the Canadian veteran.
Next: Terran Petteway
Terran Petteway
Forward – 6’6″
After going undrafted last summer having spent his final two seasons in college playing at Nebraska, Terran Petteway still came very close to realizing his NBA dream straight away after an impressive time at LVSL 2015.
Petteway was a member of the Summer League entry of the Atlanta Hawks 12 months ago, impressing enough to stick with the team all the way through its training camp too. Petteway stuck with the Hawks fighting for a roster place until close to the beginning of the season, only narrowly losing out on the team’s final roster spot to second round pick Lamar Patterson.
After just falling short in making the league at the first time of asking, Petteway didn’t hang his head, instead putting together a resilient season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. In 49 games, Petteway averaged 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 36.3 percent from distance.
With high energy and possessing good athleticism, Petteway is capable of making big time plays, but will mostly relied on to provide good defensive effort and knock down three-pointers. Another strong summer and an NBA “three-and-D” opportunity could await the 23-year-old.
Next: Le'Bryan Nash
Le’Bryan Nash
Forward – 6’7″
Undrafted last summer after an impressive few years as a part of a strong Oklahoma State program, Le’Bryan Nash was an elite high school talent who was highly recruited, and expected by many to be destined for big things as a pro.
Although that hasn’t transpired as of yet, it certainly shouldn’t be ruled out. Rather than sticking around in the US and earning his keep in the D-League, Nash stepped out of his comfort zone, headed to Japan, and could well be a better player now as a result.
In his season with the Fukushima Firebirds, Nash led the league in scoring, recorded the highest scoring single game in the league’s history, was named All-Star game MVP and a member of the Best Five team.
Nash is confident that his future belongs in the NBA and will be particularly determined to earn himself a landing spot off the back of his play at Summer League. With the Bucks short on small forward depth, he might be on the right team to do that too.
Next: Devin Williams
Devin Williams
Forward – 6’9″
Williams is an interesting addition to the Milwaukee Summer League squad as before he went undrafted last month, he had visited with the Bucks for a pre-draft workout at the team’s practice facility. Clearly, whatever he displayed on that occasion was enough to earn him a second chance.
At only 22 years old, Williams was widely expected to return to West Virginia for his senior year next season, but instead he chose to try his luck as a professional sooner rather than later. As a result, Summer League will be an important platform for him to showcase his game to teams across the world.
Williams has a long wingspan and does the most of his work in and around the paint, relying heavily on his power and physicality. For his time as a Mountaineer, Williams averaged 11.1 points and 8.3 rebounds, and may have a chance to do something similar over the next week or so.
An old school power forward, although Williams’ game may not be NBA ready, his body certainly is. Expect him to tower over many of the younger players on the court, and if he gets minutes he could certainly impose himself on the glass.
Next: Thon Maker
Thon Maker
Forward – 7’1″
After years of YouTube mixtapes, and weeks of debate and controversy surrounding his age, finally we’ll get to see Thon Maker take to the court wearing the name of an NBA franchise across his jersey.
There’s perhaps no bigger storyline in the entirety of Summer League than how Maker will settle in to his formative experience as an NBA player. Bucks fans will be eager to see just what the 10th overall pick can do, and the week should provide a much clearer picture for what should be expected of Maker in his rookie season.
The most pressing concern will come in the form of Maker’s ability to compete physically. There’s no doubt that the native of South Sudan will tower over most of his competition, but will his slight frame result in him being pushed around.
With potential as a ball-handler and a shooter, it’ll also be interesting to see how those skills translate as Maker gets faced with some of the better competition he has seen to date. There’s a big gap between Summer League and the NBA, but we could learn a lot about Thon Maker in the coming days.
Next: Prince Ibeh
Prince Ibeh
Center – 6’10”
A raw and athletic big man, Prince Ibeh possesses a lot of potential. Much like Devin Williams, Ibeh went undrafted in last month’s NBA Draft, but was a prior visitor to Milwaukee’s practice facility for a workout.
The former Texas Longhorn may not have heard his name called out on draft night, but there could be a lot more to his story yet. The only question remains as to whether he can harness his potential, and find a coaching staff who understands how to best utilize his natural gifts.
Ibeh is limited to the point of posing close to zero offensive threat, but he makes up for that by being an absolute stud on the opposite end. An average of 4.8 blocks per 40 minutes throughout his time in college offers up just a taster of his rim-protecting potential.
Ibeh is also a mobile big man though, so his defense is by no means restricted to the paint. Don’t expect the Bucks to go out of their way to have him guard smaller men, but if Ibeh gets switched he’s certainly capable. A good Summer League could see him emerge as a dark horse contender for a Bucks roster spot.
Next: Joshua Smith
Joshua Smith
Center – 6’10”
Weighing in at approximately 350lbs, former UCLA Bruin turned Georgetown Hoya, Joshua Smith is more than a handful down low. Smith was highly touted coming out of high school, but only managed to put together a solid NCAA career in light of various bumps in the road.
Having left UCLA amidst reports of indiscipline, Smith later encountered eligibility issues thanks to his academic record at Georgetown and ultimately went undrafted in 2015. Career averages of 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in college, were good but not enough to convince teams to chase him.
Last season forced Smith to regroup and he did just that in the D-League. Playing with Houston’s affiliate the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Smith averaged 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in 42 games, 34 of which were starts.
Known for having good hands to go with his imposing frame, Smith impressed in Summer League with the Miami Heat 12 months ago. He’ll be hoping for a repeat performance with the Bucks and a shot at the big time.
Next: Jared Berggren
Jared Berggren
Center – 6’10”
A man who will be familiar to many Bucks fans thanks to his time as a Wisconsin Badger, Jared Berggren is back playing stateside and trying to earn an NBA opportunity for himself at the age of 28.
Outside of annual trips home for Summer League, Berggren has been earning his living playing professionally throughout central Europe. Two seasons in Belgium offered Berggren his first taste of the pro game, and more recently he has been playing in Italy.
Up to this point in his career Berggren has yet to play in the D-League, but he’s hoping to earn a spot at training camp and some minor league interest at the very least with his play in the coming days.
Considering Berggren’s ability to stretch the floor a little with his jumper and his above average athleticism for his size, he might have a very good chance of doing just that too.
Next: Thon Maker Is Paving A Path For Others Like Him To Follow
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