Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Desmond Bane

Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Desmond Bane – Fit with the Bucks

Given that Bane has generally been regarded as a second round pick by draft experts, when listed on mock drafts or any big boards, it’s fair to assume he’ll be available when Milwaukee is on the clock. From a value perspective and when the Bucks will be selecting in the first round, it would be easy to view them potentially selecting Bane as something of a reach with either the 19th or 20th overall pick.

However, what Bane shows, in a class that has generally been regarded as lacking elite or franchise-changing prospects, is that there is depth of translatable and instant contributors, especially of those that don’t offer incredible upside. That shouldn’t be considered a slight as Bane offers plenty of necessary skills to carve out his place in the league and to do so for a very long time as well.

For a team like the Bucks that may be in need of some wing help this season, given all of the impending free agents they’ll have from that spot on the roster, Bane overlaps with what the Bucks have historically valued on the wing or combo guard, however you classify his role.

The combination of Bane’s incredible perimeter shooting, competent playmaking and overall steadiness on and off the ball all makes for his alluring appeal as a draft pick. And with Bane hitting all of the marks analytically in terms of his blistering efficiency and consistency, as seen by his 58.9 career true shooting percentage, Bane checks plenty of boxes for the Bucks offensively.

The defensive end may be a rougher go when projecting his fit, but there is a world in which Bane’s size, strength and solid mobility makes up for the physical and athletic deficiencies he has.

Whether Bane does stand as a player the Bucks covet to some degree remains to be seen for a long while. However, there is always the possibility that the Bucks could move back to pick up an extra asset or a slightly more cost-controlled contract later in the first round.

That isn’t without risks, of course, as teams currently below the Bucks in the draft order may target Bane late in the first or second rounds, and trading out of the first round entirely doesn’t offer flexibility to a Bucks team that will assuredly be in the luxury tax from this point moving forward.

But the fit is certainly clear to see between Bane and the Bucks and that alone should be worth some level of intrigue.