Milwaukee Bucks: 15 greatest draft steals in franchise history
89. . Power Forward. 1968. Greg Smith. 9. player
Every part of an NBA title team is important, not simply the stars. Any team that makes it to the NBA Finals can tell you how important all the rotation pieces are. When the Bucks drafted Greg Smith with the 50th pick of the 1968 NBA Draft, they likely did not realize how they would soon need all hands on deck as they contended for titles.
The Bucks were founded in 1968, and as an expansion team were granted extra picks in that year’s draft. Despite being their final pick of the draft, he ended up being the only player with any staying power, playing at forward for a Bucks team that added dominant center Lew Alcindor and talented wing Bob Dandridge in the 1969 NBA Draft.
Smith played all but three games available to him throughout his time on the Bucks, forming a formidable frontcourt pairing with Alcindor. With Oscar Robertson running point, Smith and the Bucks became a force in the Western Conference and won the 1971 NBA title in just their third season as a franchise.
During his fourth season, Smith was traded away and he would never again carve out the role he had in Milwaukee. Yet for a team in its first draft, to get reliable production from the 50th pick was a move that had repercussions all the way to the NBA Finals.