NBA Draft: Is Zhaire Smith a first round gamble worth taking for the Bucks?

Fit with the Bucks

We now come to the million dollar question, so to speak. There’s arguably no other prospect, at least one that’s been projected in range of where the Bucks are selecting in the first round, that casts a wider range of outcomes as a player than Smith.

That’s not all that surprising of a conclusion to come to when taking into account that those who have tracked the progress Smith has made over the amateur ranks have come to different evaluations of what Smith is right now, to what Smith could be in the future and how likely it is that he realizes the potential he possesses.

All of that brings us to what Smith represents to the Bucks in a draft that is coming at a critical point in the franchise.

Whether it’s been through various mock drafts or outlining archetypes they should target via the draft, it’s been rightly regarded that Smith possesses most, if not all of the qualities, traits and athletic upside that has caught the Bucks’ eye many times in past first rounds this decade.

While there’s no doubting that outlook or sentiment, the question for the Bucks in terms of selecting a player that still leans on the rawer side like Smith is whether they can still afford to lean on a potentially bigger payoff, given their recent draft history and the team’s current timeline.

Recent big swings in the first round have not paid off the dividends that the organization and Bucks fans have been hoping to see and the increased urgency to progress towards contending in the East and beyond with their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is of the highest priority at this time.

With that said, the biggest variable in breaking down the team’s draft philosophy as it relates to a prospect like Smith is new head coach Mike Budenholzer.

Carrying a rich history of developing players and molding them into useful, versatile role players during his days with the Atlanta Hawks, having Budenholzer and the majority of his coaching staff during that time in the mix in Milwaukee increases the likelihood that Smith can be the next success story or example in a long line of ones.

Next: NBA Draft: Could Jalen Brunson help stabilize the point guard spot for the Bucks?

Of course, this all may be moot if Smith is off the board once the Bucks are on the clock on draft night. But if the Bucks are looking to make a similar gamble and are more assured doing so now with Coach Bud in the fold, Smith may very well be the type of project that may stand as a defining point in the years to come.