Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Isaiah Stewart
Fit with the Bucks
Despite the production and pedigree he’s shown up until this point in his basketball journey, Stewart has been primarily viewed as a late first round pick in this year’s draft.
That checks one significant box as it relates to whether Stewart will be within range of where the Bucks are selecting in this draft, but whether his development and overall skill set is something they covet is another question entirely.
As all NBA teams have to weigh, the big unknown of how Stewart’s skill set and production will translate at the next level significantly looms over him at this stage. Again, his role at Washington didn’t help matters, but the fact that Stewart was as productive as he was is incredibly encouraging.
Milwaukee certainly values frontcourt players that can space and shoot the ball and there’s a whole lot of projecting that Stewart can do those things in the NBA at this point. That isn’t to say that the optimism surrounding Stewart’s shooting touch and overall range isn’t on point, but it will be crucial to see how he can play in spaced-out systems such as the Bucks have built under head coach Mike Budenholzer.
The defensive concerns or questions in regards to Stewart may not be as significant in Milwaukee as they would be elsewhere. With Stewart stationed in front of the rim, it’s easy to see him mirror the kind of defensive role that the Lopez brothers have done in Milwaukee while the Bucks’ guards and/or wings look to fight through screens and disrupt opposing offenses in that sense.
What can’t be known is how much of Stewart’s work ethic and intangibles will shine with teams as that will be key for him to fill out his game and meet the requirements that will be necessary for him sticking in the NBA.
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Whether the Bucks will be one of the teams that shows more than a passing interest in Stewart’s game remains to be seen, but some major questions, one in particular, have to be answered in order to believe Stewart could be successful within the Bucks’ system.