The Milwaukee Bucks continued their pre-draft workouts on Friday as some notable forwards visited the practice facility.
As the Milwaukee Bucks held their latest draft workout on Friday, there was a number of potential draftees present, and even a couple of players with realistic hopes of earning first round selections.
Having tested the waters last season, California’s Ivan Rabb is not new to this workout process, but faces much higher stakes as he looks to make a lasting impression this time around.
Syracuse’s Tyler Lydon has been steadily climbing mock drafts and big boards as a player who seems to fit the prototype of the modern stretch-shooting big man.
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While the likes of Dillon Brooks and V.J. Beachem have garnered plenty of attention in their own right too.
As I’m sure most of you are used to at this point, the Bucks posted a list of all the players in attendance on their website early on Friday morning.
Still, we’re here to go beyond that, though, so let’s take a closer look at the players in attendance at this workout and what they’d have been hoping to show to the Bucks.
Tyler Lydon
Forward – 6’10”
A well-rounded forward who has put together two impressive seasons for Syracuse, Tyler Lydon’s stock seems to steadily be on the rise as the draft approaches.
Lydon is a more than capable stretch shooting big with good size, a player type that’s something of a hot commodity in the NBA at present.
For two years at Syracuse, Lydon averaged 11.6 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting from the field and 39.8 percent from deep.
Although the full extent of Lydon’s defensive abilities may not be known until he’s seen playing outside of Syracuse’s defensive scheme, he has shown himself to be relatively solid, and he also improved on his rebounding as a sophomore by averaging 8.6 boards per game.
Ivan Rabb
Forward – 6’11”
Projected in many mock drafts as a top-10 pick at this time last year, Ivan Rabb ultimately decided to return to the University of California for another season. Now coming out in a more talented class after a year where he showed little improvement, he may regret that decision.
As a sophomore, Rabb posted modest improvements in terms of rebounds and assists per 40 minutes, but dropped off in the categories of points and blocks per 40, along with field goal percentage and three-point percentage.
Although Rabb’s basic numbers of 14 points and 10.5 rebounds certainly sound impressive, the question remains as to whether he has enough of any one standout skill to make him particularly effective at the next level.
A lot of the positives around his game originate from his physical profile and length, both of which are factors that could be negated at the next level. For Rabb, the challenge at workouts is to convince teams that he has another gear or two left in him yet.
Jaylen Adams
Guard – 6’2″
Jaylen Adams is far from a household name, but coming off the back of three productive years at St. Bonaventure he’s certainly proven he has little difficulty when it comes to scoring.
According to his bio on Bucks.com, Adams led the Atlantic 10 Conference in both points and assists this year, and that’s just a couple of elements of his well-rounded contributions for a player of his size.
In spite of his small frame, Adams exerts his will across the floor as his junior averages of 22.0 points, 6.9 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals can attest to.
The Baltimore native is a confident and assertive passer who has also shown flashes of being able to shoot three-pointers, even if he has been somewhat inconsistent in that regard.
V.J. Beachem
Forward – 6’8″
An intriguing forward who certainly managed to leave his mark throughout his time at Notre Dame, V.J. Beachem didn’t necessarily have quite as good of a senior season as he may have hoped, but he should still have a chance to make an impact on the workout circuit.
Beachem is a long and relatively fluid athlete who has shown a particularly nice shooting touch throughout his time with the Fighting Irish.
Although Beachem’s senior season was something of a down note in terms of shooting, he’s an incredibly comfortable and competent spot-up shooter.
Beachem made over 40 percent of his three-pointers during his sophomore and junior seasons and could earn a pick toward the end of the second round if he can demonstrate the best of those abilities in a workout.
Dillon Brooks
Forward – 6’7″
This is not Brooks’ first dealing with the Bucks as the former Oregon man had already met with Milwaukee’s representatives at the Draft Combine in Chicago last week.
Having impressed with some of his physical testing and his performances in scrimmages at the Combine, Brooks has only bolstered an already strong case for drawing attention from NBA teams.
For his three years as a Duck, Brooks posted per 40 minute averages of 20.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals, while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from deep.
Lacking length and the kind of height associated with standout forwards in the NBA, Brooks would seem guaranteed to have a much more difficult time at the next level, but at the very least he’s already proven himself to be a savvy and dynamic scorer.
Matt Jones
Guard – 6’5″
Jones went the full four-year term at Duke under the guidance of coach Mike Krzyzewski, and although his numbers have been underwhelming during that time, he managed to earn a gradually increased role in recent seasons.
Jones played over 1,000 minutes in each of his junior and senior seasons. How did he manage to do that with averages of 7.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists? Quite simply, Jones is a specialist.
Jones is a strong defender who was named to the All-ACC Defensive Team for his senior season, having averaged an impressive 1.7 steals per game.
Although consistency has at times been an issue, Jones has also demonstrated deadly potential as a shooter. As a junior he shot 41.5 percent from deep on 5.2 attempts per game, meaning that NBA clubs will look at Jones as an incredibly low usage guy who could yet emerge to be a three-and-D guard as a pro.
Next: Milwaukee Bucks Pre-Draft Workouts: Senior-heavy group visits Milwaukee
We’ll have further updates on prospects who work out for the Bucks as they happen, along with a variety of draft profiles on site. Make sure to stick with us for all of your Bucks draft coverage.