Milwaukee Bucks Roundtable: 2018 NBA Draft decisions

Q1. Considering the current shape of the roster, what would be your primary focus if you were the Bucks GM on draft night? Talent, fit, positional need or something else?

Theodore Konstantellos (@theokon7): The primary consideration is talent. However, I do think that Bucks find themselves in a spot in the draft where they’ll have a lot of prospects of similar caliber to choose from so it will come down to who fits best (guards/wings that can shoot for the most part) and to which player Bucks believe in the most.

I think interviews and behavior before the draft are very important factors to attempt to see if certain players have the mentality to become great. Mitchell Robinson, for example, fell so much for the most part because his behavior indicates a lack of maturity.

Ben Rauman (@suckamint): I think at this point in the Bucks’ timeline, you have to be cautious about drafting players based on talent alone. Obviously, talent is very important, but you ultimately want players that can fit next to Giannis and contribute sooner rather than later. I think at this point, adding players that fit is far more important than positional need since the Bucks could benefit from added depth at any position.

Jordan Treske (@JordanTreske): You certainly would like someone who can check those three boxes and more, but with the amount of swings and misses the Bucks have made with their recent first round picks, I think picking a player who can sort of hit the ground running during their rookie season will ultimately weigh out in whoever the Bucks end up taking.

Now it’s very possible that Jon Horst and his staff’s view of an immediate contributor is different than mine, but if the players that are currently projected within range of the Bucks mostly end up going that way in some order, I think there are quality prospects who may end up serving the best of both worlds, in terms of making an impact now and in the years to come.

Ben Sewell (@pencil2292): Talent. Jon Horst said it all this week when he said the Bucks are looking for someone who can contribute both now and can also grow in the future. No one on this roster (not named Giannis Antetokounmpo) is totally untouchable. As such, if you can find a player who can contribute and grow into a superstar, you have to take that player, regardless of current fit or positional need.

William Wang (@willwang_bucks): Talent. The Bucks can find guys using the mid-level exception and/or bi-annual exception to be role players to fill roster needs. At pick #17, talent can still be found that slips through the gaps. Prioritizing players with top-tier skills allows the team to leverage their abilities for meaningful impact.

Adam McGee (@AdamMcGee11): Really a combination of them all is necessary, but it has to begin and end with talent. The Bucks need players with sufficient ability to play right now, and the potential to improve further over time would certainly be a welcome bonus.