Milwaukee Bucks: 15 greatest draft steals in franchise history
player. 89. . Shooting Guard. 2016. Malcolm Brogdon. 10
There is a general draft philosophy around the league that in the first round you draft for upside, and in the second you draft for floor. You want to swing for the fences to try to get a star with the early picks, and then you would do well just to get a reliable contributor in the second round.
Investing a first-round pick, especially a lottery pick, is a big deal for teams. With the fate of front offices tied into those selections, those players tend to get the most playing time, the most developmental focus and often the most touches, especially late in a lost season.
Combine the increased talent most lottery picks have over those picked later in the draft, and it’s no surprise that the NBA Rookie of the Year award tends to go to players picked in the lottery.
Perhaps “tends to” is too soft of language. The award always goes to lottery picks, with one relevant exception. From 1989-90 to 2018-19, 29 of the 30 Rookie of the Year awards went to lottery picks, and 27 went to top-7 picks. 15 of the 30, 50 percent, went to the first overall pick. The intersection of talent and opportunity leads to a certain expected outcome.
Malcolm Brogdon destroyed expectations with his rookie season in 2016-17, taking advantage of a mediocre and injury-riddled field to bring home NBA Rookie of the Year. The 36th pick out of Virginia, Brogdon’s draft slot totaled more than the 10 prior award winners combined.
While a re-draft today would not place him above players such as Jaylen Brown, Jamal Murray or Buddy Hield, that season Brogdon outplayed them all (first overall pick Ben Simmons missed the season due to injury).
Brogdon has continued to be what he was his first season: a reliable starter on a playoff team. This past season, he was a reliable starter on a true contender, one that fell just shy of a trip to the NBA Finals.
He was a member of the illustrious 50-40-90 shooting club (field goal, 3-point and free throw percentages, respectively) and provided high-level defense for the league’s best defensive team.
At the time of writing, Brogdon is approaching restricted free agency, and it seems likely that the Bucks will do whatever it takes to keep him. If he plays out another contract with the Bucks, he will continue to rise up this list, as the value of turning a second-round pick into a top player at his position is immense.