Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Desmond Bane

Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Desmond Bane — Weaknesses

At this stage, Bane is already a very polished player as is and will very likely show that when he arrives in the NBA. However, there are some notable questions that have obviously influenced where he’s currently projected by the draft consensus.

The first significant concern surrounding Bane revolves around his physical tools as he reportedly has a 6’4″ wingspan in comparison to his 6’5″ height. Having a negative wingspan as he does can certainly affect his standing on the defensive end or even being able to finish at the basket over long-limbed rim protectors.

With that said, Bane has shown himself to be a solid defender capable of making action plays like steals and occasionally blocking shots while recovering, thanks to his fine mobility and 41-inch vertical leap. This season, Bane tallied a 2.5 steal percentage and a 1.6 block percentage.

As an added bonus, with the strength that Bane does possess, there is also the possibility of the TCU product being able to take on bigger assignments defensively.

And as far as his penetration goes, Bane converted 63.2 percent of his scoring opportunities at the rim, per Hoop-Math. On the flip side, Bane doesn’t make regular trips to the free throw line as he averaged 2.5 free throw attempts per 40 minutes and can stand to improve upon his ability to absorb contact from opposing defenses.

There’s no debate that the physical and high-end athletic questions surrounding Bane affect his ceiling, especially against NBA competition. Just how much his skill level will help him overcome all of those concerns will be the big question.