How have the Milwaukee Bucks drafted over the past decade, and how much has that influenced their performances on the court?
For a small market team like the Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA Draft presents the best opportunity to add a superstar in any given year.
Unfortunately for Milwaukee, however, drafting is not a guaranteed method of finding elite talent and for every All-Star the Bucks have drafted, they have often followed up with drafting a total bust.
NBA Draft debate cuts through social media like a hot knife through butter.
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Even years later, you will find redrafts on each NBA draft, correcting the mistakes and lauding the leaps of faith some teams were brave enough to make.
The Bucks are no exception and it’s now time to grade Milwaukee’s draft efforts over the past decade.
As the draft process plays such a central role in shaping the success of an NBA franchise in any given generation, how has it treated the Bucks over the past 10 years?
2008
8 – Joe Alexander
37 – Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Grade: C-
In John Hammond’s first NBA draft as general manager for the Milwaukee Bucks, he scraped in with barely a pass grade. With his first pick, Hammond took Joe Alexander, a junior out of West Virginia University.
Alexander had rocketed up many boards thanks to a spirited finish to his time in West Virginia. Alexander helped West Virginia to be a seven-seed in the NCAA tournament and then took them all the way to the Sweet 16. Alexander finished the season averaging 16.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game with many considering him to be the best athlete in the whole draft class.
Hammond obviously saw something he liked and picked Alexander with the eighth pick in the draft. Unfortunately for both Hammond and Milwaukee, Alexander was not able to replicate this form in the NBA. Alexander lasted only one season in Milwaukee, finishing with 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12 minutes of action per game. Alexander was traded to Chicago where he played only a further eight games before exiting the league altogether.
Alexander is considered to be one of Milwaukee’s greatest ever draft busts. Hammond took a flyer on a kid with potential and it didn’t pay off at all. Also consider that Brook Lopez, George Hill and DeAndre Jordan were selected later in this draft.
The 2008 draft would have been graded a complete failure, if not for Hammond’s second round selection. With the 37th pick, the Bucks snagged Luc Richard Mbah a Moute who went on to become a fan favorite in Milwaukee. Mbah a Moute spent five seasons in Milwaukee, averaging 6.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.9 steals per contest. Mbah a Moute however was best known for his tenacious defence, as he was often found defending the opposition’s best player.
Mbah a Moute was a steal at 37 and saves Hammond the embarrassment of failing his first ever draft. The failure of Alexander cannot be understated however and this is why, even with the success of Mbah a Moute, Hammond earns a C- for the 2008 NBA draft.
2009
10 – Brandon Jennings
41 – Jodie Meeks
Grade: A
For the failure of the 2008 draft, Hammond more than made up for it with this draft. In a stacked top-10, the Bucks selected Brandon Jennings who would go on to become arguably one of Milwaukee’s greatest ever point guards.
Jennings averaged 17 points, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals per contest and was the leader of Milwaukee’s offense in his time with the side.
Jennings earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honours in his rookie season, highlighted by his 55-point explosion against the Golden State Warriors. This effort was the second highest by any rookie, second highest by any player under 21 years of age, and the second most points in a single game in Bucks history.
Unbelievably this came in Jennings’ seventh match as a Buck and set sky high expectations for the point guard. Jennings was a borderline All-Star throughout his time in Milwaukee and most Bucks fans will admit he was good for the side and justified his selection inside the top 10.
Arguably Jennings’ most important contribution to the Bucks however, was nothing he did, but his trade away from the side. In 2013, Jennings was sent to Detroit in a sign and trade deal that netted the Bucks Brandon Knight, Viacheslav Kravtsov and little known rookie shooting guard Khris Middleton. Knight was eventually traded for Michael Carter-Williams, who as we now know was then traded for Tony Snell. Middleton has since turned out, as the undoubted number two man to Giannis in the current side.
Essentially Jennings was one of the Bucks finest point guards while in Milwaukee, highlighted by his recent appearance in the NBA 2K18 All-Time Milwaukee Bucks side. He was then traded for what is currently Khris Middleton and Tony Snell, two of Milwaukee’s current starting five. That’s a home run of a draft pick if you ask anyone and props to Hammond.
Meeks was a solid, but unspectacular pick at 41, only lasting half a season in Milwaukee, averaging 4.1 points and 1.8 rebounds. Meeks’ shortcomings cannot undo the good work Hammond did in drafting Jennings however and for the 2009 NBA draft, Hammond receives an A.
2010
15. Larry Sanders
37. Darington Hobson
47. Tiny Gallon
Grade: C+
Hammond could not have known the storm that was brewing with Larry Sanders when he picked him in the 2010 draft. All he knew was that the Bucks required a backup for their then star center Andrew Bogut.
While it took several seasons for Sanders to hit his strides, once he did, he become one of the best defensive centers in the league. During the 2012-13 season, Sanders played 71 games, averaging 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.
Sanders’ superb season culminated in a four-year, $44 million contract offer that offseason. At the time, most Bucks fans were excited about the future prospects of Sanders as a defensive minded center who could finish strongly around the rim. Essentially, a slightly lesser version of Andrew Bogut in his prime.
The disastrous events that ensued for the Bucks could not have been foreseen by Hammond, or anyone in Milwaukee’s administration, as Sanders walked away from the NBA due to a variety of off the court struggles.
The consequences are unfortunately still being felt with Sanders mammoth contract being stretched by Milwaukee, in an attempt to lessen the blow of their star center leaving the NBA, just one year into his deal. These events obviously lessen the grade Hammond receives for drafting Sanders, but you cannot deny the impact he had on the team when he was focused and at his peak.
Hobson played only five games for Milwaukee while Gallon never actually played in the NBA, being waived after Summer League. Second round draft picks are always hit and miss but Hobson and Gallon were clear misses for Hammond.
2011
19. Tobias Harris (via trade)*
40. Jon Leuer
Grade: C
*Harris was brought to Milwaukee with Beno Udrih, Shaun Livingston and Stephen Jackson in a three team trade which sent the 10th pick (Jimmer Fredette) and Jon Salmons to Sacramento and the seventh pick (Bismack Biyombo) and Corey Maggette to Charlotte.
The 2011 draft was a bit of a mess for Milwaukee in that three-team trade. Essentially, the trade was used as a salary dump for John Salmons and Corey Maggette. In return, the Bucksreceived Jackson, (who only lasted half a season before being traded away), Livingston and Udrih who both provided serviceable back up minutes for Milwaukee at point guard and the 19th pick which turned into Tobias Harris. Harris was in Milwaukee for a season-and-a-half, and averaged 5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
Harris was then inexplicably traded midseason to Orlando in a deal that sent J.J. Redick’s expiring deal to Milwaukee to help strengthen their playoff hunt ambitions.
Harris found far greater success with Orlando after this trade and if we were grading that particular trade in hindsight, it would be scoring a solid F! As we are just focussing on this draft however, Harris became a solid rotation piece and should be judged accordingly.
Wisconsin Badgers senior, Jon Leuer was taken with the 40th pick. Leuer was a solid rotation piece for the Bucks, averaging 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in his only year in Milwaukee. Leuer was then traded in a deal which sent Samuel Dalembert to the Bucks, as a ways to strengthen their big man stocks (yes, there was a time when Milwaukee did not possess four centers).
As can be seen, the 2011 draft was a bit of a mess but when isolated, Hammond found some solid, if not short lived pieces. Harris, Udrih, Livingston and Leuer were all solid rotation players in Milwaukee for the time they spent there and as a result, Hammond receives a C for this effort.
2012
14. John Henson
42. Doron Lamb
Grade: C+
The grade of this draft can only be determined by where you stand on the career of John Henson. Henson is currently the longest serving Buck, about to enter his sixth year in Milwaukee. In that time, Henson has proved to be an important rotation player off the bench, averaging 7.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
The John Henson conundrum drags deeper than this however. Henson has played under three coaches during his time in Milwaukee and has been unable to crack or hold down a starting position under any of them.
Henson is also entering the second year of the $44 million contract he signed in the offseason of 2015. Essentially. Henson is being paid starter’s money, while at no point in his career has he showed any ability justify a starting position. By all reports, Henson is however a fantastic teammate, and is quite active in the Milwaukee community.
Doron Lamb’s impact in Milwaukee was all but negligible, playing only 23 games before being involved in the trade which sent J.J. Reddick to Milwaukee. As a result, the 2012 draft grade is being solely based on John Henson’s production in Milwaukee.
Henson was a solid choice in an uninspiring draft where several of the mid first round selections (Terrence Jones, Fab Melo, Jared Sullinger, etc), taken just after Henson are no longer in the league. As a result, Hammond receives a solid C+ for his efforts on draft night in 2012.
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.
2014
2. Jabari Parker
31. Damien Inglis
36. Johnny O’Bryant III
Grade: B
The grade of this draft is totally dependent on Jabari Parker’s left knee. If you ignore the two ACL reconstructions, Parker has averaged 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his time in Milwaukee. Parker was drafted to be a leader on the offensive end and he’s been just that during his time on the court.
This is highlighted with his most recent season, where Jabari averaged over 20 points per game, while shooting 36.5 percent from three. Parker has been outstanding on offense, and quite frankly we expected nothing less when he was drafted.
Unfortunately, Parker’s two ACL reconstructions cannot be totally ignored. In his three seasons in Milwaukee, Parker has missed 94 games and both playoff runs, thanks to two cruel ACL tears. Recent reports suggest that Parker is recovering well but only time will tell if Parker can return to his previous elite level of play.
O’Bryant was something of a cult favourite in his two seasons in Milwaukee, although his production levels were never more than mediocre. In 100 games, O’Bryant averaged a mere three points per contest and was waived by the Bucks in 2016. Inglis on the other hand showed great potential but was unfortunately cut down due to an ankle injury, limiting his time in Milwaukee to only 20 games.
The 2014 draft however, will always be remembered for Jabari Parker, and as a result, this is a floating grade. If Parker can return to health and become a genuine superstar for Milwaukee, this grade will move up to an A most likely.
If, however, Parker cannot make a full recovery, then it’s likely the grade will fall to a C. At this stage, only time will tell and as a result, Hammond is given a B for his efforts on 2014 draft night.
2015
17. Rashad Vaughn
Grade: F
What a shocker this was. With their first pick, which fell 17th overall, Milwaukee selected Rashad Vaughn out of UNLV. Vaughn was expected to add to Milwaukee’s three-point shooting, while also being touted as an able defender.
Since Vaughn was drafted however, he has been nothing but a disappointment, averaging only 3.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per contest, while shooting a paltry 30 percent from three.
While a lack of talent would be easy to blame, that doesn’t appear to be the issue with Vaughn. Vaughn suffers from a complete lack of confidence on the big stage. In the 2017 Summer League, Vaughn balled out averaging 16 points per game while shooting 51 percent from the field. Vaughn had also showed glimpses during the season, including his efforts against the Brooklyn Nets where he scored 22 points in a tight win for the Bucks.
But when it comes to the big stage, Vaughn appears to choke under the pressure, and just flat out can’t perform when it’s most required. Vaughn in isolation was a poor pick and would likely have resulted in a fail anyway for the Bucks. But what really earns Milwaukee an F in this instance is what they did with their second round pick.
The Bucks were in possession of the 46th pick when they traded it, along with the Clippers’ 2017 first round selection, for Toronto point guard Greivis Vasquez. Two picks is a high price to pay for Vasquez who only played 23 games for Milwaukee before he left in free agency in 2016.
There have been conflicting reports that Hammond was not in fact in total control on draft night in 2015. Some believe Jason Kidd’s influence led to several of these decisions. Regardless of who made the end call however, both moves were a major failure for the Bucks and as a result, they receive an F for their 2015 draft.
2016
10. Thon Maker
36. Malcolm Brogdon
Grade: A
After the calamity of 2015 draft night, the Bucks and Hammond rebounded in the best possible way. With the 10th pick, Milwaukee made what most considered an enormous stretch in drafting Thon Maker straight out of high school.
Maker was a YouTube sensation and flashed signs of brilliance as a genuine seven-footer who could shoot while also being able to put the ball on the floor. Other than videos online however, nothing else was known about Maker and many expected him to fall to the second round on draft night.
Hammond and Milwaukee saw something in him, however, and after interviewing well, the Bucks snapped him up. Maker started slowly in Milwaukee but by the end of the season, he was starting and playing real minutes in the playoffs.
Maker averaged 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in the playoff series against Toronto and created many a headache for the Raptors with his elite interior defense. Maker also flashed serious offensive potential throughout the season, highlighted by his 23-point game against Detroit.
With the 36th pick, the Milwaukee Bucks then selected Malcolm Brogdon, the senior out of the University of Virginia who had redshirted his sophomore year thanks to a foot injury. Brogdon was 23 years old when he entered the league and many had written him off as a player with limited upside.
Brogdon exceeded all expectations, finishing the season with 10.2 points, 4.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Brogdon was named NBA Rookie of the Year and became the first player in history to receive the award as a player drafted in the second round. He was also only the second Buck (behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to receive this award.
What Brogdon and Maker have done this past season is nothing short of remarkable and Hammond and the Bucks administration should be lauded for showing faith in the duo. Both were written off before the season began and both ended the season as the starting point guard and center for the Bucks. Take a bow Milwaukee, you nailed the 2016 draft and as a result, are rewarded an A.
2017
17. D.J. Wilson
46 Sterling Brown
Grade – To be confirmed
It’s simply way too early to place any kind of definitive analysis on these picks. Both Wilson and Brown showed potential as 3-and-D prospects in Summer League. Wilson averaged 11.8 points and 5.4 rebounds while Brown finished Summer League averaging 8.4 points and rebounds per game. While both flashed potential, it should be remembered by all to not expect too much from players in their rookie years.
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Brogdon and Maker are clearly exceptions to the rule and Wilson and Brown should be given time to develop their games in the NBA. With that being said, both appear to be excellent fits for what Milwaukee needs and here’s hoping a solid draft grade can be awarded in the future.