Milwaukee Bucks Roundtable: 2018 NBA Draft decisions
By Adam McGee
Q3. Is there any prospect you would rather the Bucks avoid at No. 17 on Thursday night?
TK: I don’t want Bucks to get Zhaire Smith or Troy Brown or in general any guard/wing that is not a good shooter. There are so many good shooters in the Bucks’ range that they can definitely find a good overall player among them. About bigs, I wouldn’t mind Robert Williams if he fell to 17 but I’d rather fill the center slot in Free Agency. I think drafting guards/wings has more potential value. And since I’m not too high even on Robert Williams, it means that for me Mitchell Robinson should not even be a consideration at 17 because of both his mental red flags and of how raw he is.
BR: Despite the marketability of the name DiVincenzo (e.g. “It’s not delivery, it’s DiVincenzo!”), Donte DiVincenzo is certainly one name I would be uninspired to hear called by the Bucks on draft night. Despite his three-point prowess, I would be hesitant to pick another March Madness hero akin to DJ Wilson who had an otherwise unspectacular season.
Mitchell Robinson is another name I hope the Bucks steer clear of, at least at No. 17. The last thing the team needs is another “project” center taking up a valuable roster spot. The team can improve in more immediate ways with someone else.
BS: I am actually quite easy on who the Bucks select at 17, because I believe (for some reason) Horst will get this pick right. Whether it be the upside of Zhaire Smith or Elie Okobo, or the ability to contribute right away with a Grayson Allen or Donte DiVincenzo, I believe there is no science behind draft picks. Some work out and some don’t and at the end of the day, you really have no idea until they step on the floor.
My biggest concern however is if the Milwaukee Bucks buy into the second round and select Kostas Antetokounmpo. Sure, best case scenario, you can have the Greek Freak brothers running the floor side by side in a championship caliber team. But what I believe is far more likely to happen is Kostas’ flaws will show up in a big way and be proven not to be an NBA talent. In this instance, the Bucks would have to either cut Kostas and risk Giannis being unhappy, or keep a mediocre player, at the risk of angering your superstar. To me it’s a no-win move and I pray Milwaukee steer clear.
JT: Hands down, it’s Mitchell Robinson for me. From a purely athletic standpoint, Robinson stands up there as one of the more stunning prospects in this class. But as the star of my “scared as all hell the Bucks are going to take him” tier on my personal big board (I don’t have a big board), there are simply too many red flags and overall concerns surrounding the mystery man, whether that’s the whole Western Kentucky saga or how he (and his agent/advisers) went about the pre-draft process, which certainly shows in his current projections.
Simply put, he’s too much of a risk for where the Bucks stand at this point and with a project big man already on their roster in Thon Maker, it would feel very redundant for the Bucks to take on another player in that vein who has a whole host of questions looming over him on and off the court.
WW: The Robinsons. Mitchell Robinson’s red flags are not worth it when other valuable players will be available at #17. Jerome Robinson’s defense, or lack thereof, will get him played off the floor in the NBA. I’d prefer not to watch him frustratingly die on screens for the Bucks.
AM: I’m very wary of potential high upside swings (i.e. Zhaire Smith and Mitchell Robinson) for a team that needs help now, but I’m flat-out terrified of a dull selection that can be presented as safe but quickly reveal itself to be a complete waste of time, energy and assets.
College pedigree can be a double-edged sword in the draft, and the likes of Donte DiVincenzo, Grayson Allen, and to a slightly lesser extent Aaron Holiday and Jerome Robinson, all present to me as prospects with limited to no upside whose existing skills may not prove to be good enough for the NBA.
The Bucks need to find the balance between those two points and find the best of both worlds in terms of readiness and upside.