NBA Draft 2020 Prospect Watch: Daniel Oturu

Fit with the Bucks

Whether the Bucks will look to address the center position through the draft or at any point in the offseason is up in the air as of this writing.

That certainly depends on whether Robin Lopez will pick up his $5 million player option this offseason and continue backing up his twin brother Brook to solidify the Bucks’ center rotation. Beyond that, though, we’ve seen the Bucks cycle through third centers over the last couple of years such as Dragan Bender and Christian Wood as both were blocked from finding any lasting roles in Milwaukee as a result of the team’s established frontcourt.

Regardless of Lopez’s looming decision regarding his option, it’s very possible we see the Bucks take another flyer on a similar big man project in free agency, and avoid the draft altogether to add some more center cover.

With all that said, many of Oturu’s strengths certainly play well in the way the Bucks have used their big men under head coach Mike Budenholzer. Oturu’s defensive acumen would work very well in the drop-back defensive scheme that has catapulted the Bucks to building top-ranked defenses over the last two seasons.

Functioning in the five-out offense the Bucks have built is another question entirely, but Oturu does have the basic framework of being able to stretch the floor and hitting shots from long range. And Milwaukee has increasingly involved more post touches and develop counters to keep opposing defenses on their toes to further overlap with Oturu’s offensive strengths.

That could further bolster Oturu’s chances of being regarded well by the Bucks’ draft evaluators. But whether Oturu will be a surplus addition with an eye on the future or the Bucks would be better spent using their draft pick elsewhere on their roster is the big question.