Milwaukee Bucks: 15 best draft picks in franchise history
By Adam McGee
3. Sidney Moncrief
In a draft best remembered for Magic Johnson‘s selection by the Lakers as the first overall pick, the Bucks picked up a talisman of their own by selecting Sidney Moncrief with the fifth pick.
Moncrief could easily have been the Lakers’ pick on that night in 1979, as he was the player famously recommended by Jerry West for the top pick, but when the Lakers ultimately opted for Magic the pieces fell kindly for the Bucks to land Moncrief with their selection.
The Bucks were lucky that the Pistons selected Greg Kelser at No. 4, as he’d be out of the league in six years, and while the likes of James Bailey and Vinnie Johnson proved to be fine role players, they didn’t possess the talent which allowed Moncrief to drive the Bucks on for a decade.
A series of smart decisions in both the draft and free agency allowed the Bucks to build a roster that achieved the franchise’s greatest spell of sustained success in the late 70s and 80s, but there’s no disputing Moncrief’s importance at the center of all of that.
In taking Moncrief, the Bucks picked up one of the greatest perimeter defenders of all-time, and a player who also possessed exceptional scoring and playmaking instincts.
Moncrief’s arrival marked the start of an eight-year run of winning at least 49 games, while they never missed the playoffs in his time in Milwaukee.