Milwaukee Bucks: Grading every draft of the past decade
By Ben Sewell
2013
15. Giannis Antetokounmpo
38. Nate Wolters
Grade: A+
Were you expecting anything else? John Hammond’s reputation from his career in Milwaukee is many ways based around one pick he made in 2013, selecting an unknown out of Greece’s second division. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who at that stage was playing for Filathlitikos B.C., was a shot in the dark by Hammond and had left many Bucks fans (including yours truly) miffed that they had not snagged a better known commodity such as Shane Larkin out of Miami.
How wrong we were…
Giannis has just just finished one of the most uniquely brilliant, statistical seasons in NBA history. He finished the season with 22.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.9 blocks, to become the first player in NBA history to finish in the top-20 of the league in every major statistical category and only the fifth player to lead his team in every category.
He became the youngest player in franchise history to start an All Star game and the first since Sidney Moncrief in 1986. In March this year, Giannis was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month, becoming only the fourth player to do so. Giannis was rewarded by winning the Most Improved Player award and being selected in the All-NBA Second Team and NBA All-Defensive Second Team at season’s end.
Giannis is the undoubted star and face of this franchise and they owe it all to John Hammond who believed in this young kid from Greece. He dared to play the long game and swing for the fences, and didn’t he just knock it out of the park.
Giannis has every chance of becoming the single best player in Milwaukee history and it all started in this draft when Milwaukee took him with the 15th pick. Nate Wolters was also good too, I suppose, but let’s be real, nothing, NOTHING could change the grade of this draft.
Hammond receives an A+ for his ability to take a gamble and watch as it pays off like nothing seen since the days of Lew Alcindor.