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Milwaukee Bucks: Taking a look at the history of 17th overall picks

By Jordan Treske

Milwaukee, WI - FEBRUARY 2: D.J. Wilson #5 of the Milwaukee Bucks enters the arena prior to the game against the New York Knicks on February 2, 2018 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
Milwaukee, WI - FEBRUARY 2: D.J. Wilson #5 of the Milwaukee Bucks enters the arena prior to the game against the New York Knicks on February 2, 2018 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Seeing that the Milwaukee Bucks hold the 17th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, we take a look at the history of them selecting at that spot as well as some notable examples of players who were taken there from around the league.

At long last, the 2018 NBA Draft is almost upon us. For the Milwaukee Bucks, they will enter the proceedings standing in familiar territory.

By holding the 17th overall pick, their one and only pick in this year’s draft as of this writing, the Bucks will have chosen three of their last four first round selections at that spot in the order.

Of course, there is always the possibility that they trade out of their place on the night of the draft, but the Bucks are prepared to add to their recent line of 17th overall selections when it’s all said and done.

More from Bucks History

While we’ve been accustomed to seeing the Bucks pick at this position in recent years, the first of the Bucks’ four selections at 17 came after the end of their expansion season. Coming at the start of the second round, the Bucks nabbed 6’7″ forward Bob Greacen from Rutgers University.

Greacen’s time in Milwaukee only lasted two years and he only saw the floor for a grand total of 335 minutes over that span. However, that was long enough for the New Jersey native to earn a ring during the Bucks’ one and only championship winning season during the 1970-71 campaign.

It was weeks before the Bucks notched their lone title in franchise history where they possessed the 17th overall pick in the draft for the second time.

Then-Bucks general manager Ray Patterson ended up taking Collis Jones with the 17th overall pick in the 1971 NBA Draft, a 6’7″ forward from the University of Notre Dame. If Jones’ name doesn’t ring a bell to all those Bucks historians out there, there’s a very simple reason for why that is.

Despite being taken by the Bucks, Jones elected to sign with the Dallas Chaparrals of the ABA where he played for the next two seasons before logging stints with the Kentucky Colonels and the Memphis Sounds to finish out his four-year professional career.

After a 44-year wait, the third time the Bucks held the 17th overall pick, they ended up taking one-and-done shooting guard Rashad Vaughn out of UNLV.

As we’re all familiar with the Vaughn experience by this point, the Minnesota native’s two and a half year stint come to a close midway through the 2017-18 season seeing that he could never found his place or his shot all throughout his stay in Milwaukee.

Finally, the fourth and latest instance (for the moment) the Bucks held the 17th overall pick was during the 2017 NBA Draft where they ended up taking Michigan product, D.J. Wilson.

Related Story: Milwaukee Bucks: Ruminations heading into the 2018 NBA Draft

Wilson’s résumé obviously stands incomplete at this stage, given the fact that he only logged 71 minutes with the Bucks and experienced the majority of game action throughout his rookie season playing for the team’s G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

All in all, that’s not exactly an illustrious or memorable list of players who the Bucks have elected to take at that spot in the draft. However, that doesn’t mean players who have been taken 17th overall have fallen under the same category when picked by other teams from around the league.

In fact, there have been a fairly recent string of examples of players going on to long and lasting careers after being selected 17th overall, some of them going on to become multiple-time All-Stars over the course of their careers.

Those players include six-time All-Star Shawn Kemp (’89), another six-time All-Star in Jermaine O’Neal (’96), one-time All-Star Danny Granger (’05), two-time All-Star Roy Hibbert (’08) and lastly, one-time All-Star Jrue Holiday (’09).

While these players may not have earned the same accolades throughout their respective careers, both Josh Smith (’04) and All-Defense-caliber guard Doug Christie (’92) are quality examples of useful role players being picked at that spot as well.

Despite what Bucks fans may believe at this point after seeing a series of swings and misses at this place in the draft, gold can be struck at 17th overall, whether that’s prospects hitting the ground running or players finding their niche in the prime of their careers on winning teams.

Next: NBA Mock Draft 2018: Who should the Milwaukee Bucks pick at 17?

With a little less than 60 hours to go at this point, time will only tell if the Bucks are able to reverse their nonexistent success rate at 17th overall and hit on a player that may become a success story in his own right.

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