The Milwaukee Bucks landed two experienced shooters through the 2020 NBA Draft, but how will they be able to crack the team’s rotation next season?
It’s hard to imagine the 2020 NBA Draft was just a week ago, given everything else that transpired around the Milwaukee Bucks over the last seven days.
After trading away their first round pick in this year’s draft, among other future selections, in the blockbuster Jrue Holiday trade, the Bucks shored up their internal depth with a pair of second round selections in Jordan Nwora and Sam Merrill.
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After seeing how their offense grew static in the playoffs the last two years and especially against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Bucks took those lessons to heart and nabbed two of the best 3-point snipers in this draft class.
Combine that with the value of where they selected both Nwora and Merrill, through trades, it’s safe to say the Bucks had a respectable draft night that played a small piece in their overall offseason picture.
But for both rookies to pay off that value requires both Nwora and Merrill being able to be of service to the Bucks as they look run it back and make good on their hopes of winning an NBA title. They both have strongsuits that can lead to seeing the floor under head coach Mike Budenolzer, but the same goes for some limitations that may hold them back as well.
So without further ado, let’s take a deep dive into the Bucks’ pair of experienced rookies, Jordan Nwora and Sam Merrill, and inspect how they’ll be able to break through into the team’s rotation next season.
Looking at how Jordan Nwora fits the Milwaukee Bucks
Coming off a star career at Louisville University, Jordan Nwora is ready to get work after being selected with the 45th overall pick by the Bucks in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Nwora’s new Bucks teammates made that clear upon him landing in Milwaukee as shared to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Matt Velazquez that both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton texted the rookie on draft night:
"“It meant a lot getting messages from those guys,” Nwora said. “Obviously being a kid in college I’m watching their games all the time. It was kind of surreal, it kind of caught me off guard a little bit, I wasn’t necessarily expecting it. It was crazy, it meant a lot to me and like I said earlier the family atmosphere and how they interact with each other. “When they texted me it was short, it was just ‘welcome to the city, welcome to the team’ and they both said it’s time to win, the goal is to win a championship here. I just said it’s time to get to work.”"
The work that Nwora put in that has led him proclaiming to be the best shooter in this draft class was at the root of why Bucks general manager Jon Horst and co. tabbed the 22-year-old at that point in the second round. Being a career 39.4 percent 3-point shooter on such a high-volume during college is certainly worth being on the Bucks’ radar.
Over time, Nwora grew used to being the Cardinals’ lead option offensively as seen by his 27.1 usage percentage during college. That certainly requires an adjustment playing next to the likes of Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Jrue Holiday, but it would certainly give him plenty of space to unleash his effortless shooting stroke.
Per Synergy Sports’ profile on Nwora, the Buffalo native ranked in the 94th percentile on catch-and-shoot attempts in halfcourt situations and having that valve in the Bucks’ system would certainly do wonders for their perimeter offense.
Between that, getting to his spots on the floor and being able to capitalize in transition, Nwora plays up to the supporting role that will occupy at the next level. That kind of savvy will be helpful in giving the Bucks’ offense some more movement and key in generating some chemistry with their leading stars by knocking down shots.
And with the limitless range he sported over his three years in Louisville, Nwora gives the Bucks a needed spacing threat to open up the floor for the Bucks to bolster their offensive attack.
With the size he possesses, Nwora’s abilities on the defensive end will be crucial to cracking the Bucks’ rotation, even with the knowledge that Mike Budenholzer goes deep into their bench. Showing good mobility and the strength to defend within the interior, Nwora may be up for the challenge to defend opposing frontcourt players rather than on the wing. And on top of that, he is a productive rebounder, especially on defense where he compiled a 20.0 defensive rebounding percentage in college.
The Bucks certainly got value out of Nwora, especially after having a first round grade on him going into draft night. Now it will be all about playing up the ideal role he’ll have around the Bucks’ shot creators, though that’s much easier said than done.
Looking at how Sam Merrill fits with the Milwaukee Bucks
He may be ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ as the last pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but Sam Merrill is certainly relevant in the eyes of the Bucks as they look to shore up their needs this offseason.
Having spent his time at Utah State where he won a number of different accolades over his collegiate career including two Mountain West first selections and being the Mountain West Player of the Year for 2018-19, Merrill brings a much-needed dose of shooting and on-ball shot creation.
The 24-year-old is coming off a 2019-20 season in which he averaged 19.7 points on a .461/.410/.893 slash line, 41. rebounds, 3.9 assists and 0.9 steals, and had been named the MVP of the Mountain West Tournament just before the season shutdown.
Based on that production and the skill set he provides, ESPN’s Mike Schmitz was the first to jokingly coin that he’s been referred to as the Luka Doncic of the Mountain West, due to Merrill’s mix of shooting, playmaking and cerebral nature.
But it’s quite a big leap to go from the Mountain West to the NBA and the biggest questions that the 6’5″ Merrill will have to prove is whether he can keep up on the defensive end, given his athletic limitations. That especially hinders his ability to defend on the ball or go through ball screens where Merrill’s plodding mobility is a severe obstacle in being able to see the floor under Mike Budenholzer.
Where Merrill does excel is as a shooter, whether it’s with the ball in his hands, off the catch or moving off of screens, all of which fits right into the Bucks’ let it fly philosophy to keep open the paint around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Merrill’s career 89.1 free throw percentage indicates how just valuable his shooting potential can be at the next level and that’s only backed up by the dynamic ways he’s able to hit from 3-point range.
As intriguing as his scoring and shooting abilities are within the Bucks’ foundation, Merril’s feel for the game and playmaking prowess is another asset in their favor. The fact that he’s as good of a decision maker in such situations, as evidenced by his 2.29 assist-to-turnover ratio in college, could provide the Bucks some more secondary playmaking around their cornerstones.
Merrill knows, though, that a role is far from guaranteed going into next season with their hopes for an NBA title at an all-time high as he recently talked about with Jeff Hunter of the Deseret News:
"“They’re a team that’s contending for a title. That’s what their goal is going to be, so I’m excited to join that. Hopefully I’ll get an opportunity to try and earn some minutes, but more than anything I want to help that team win a championship.”"
Between Nwora and Merrill, the Bucks got a pair of experienced and dangerous shooters that could bring more 3-point firepower to their offense. To get on the court, though, requires both rookies to shore up their deficiencies as Milwaukee looks to improve upon their depth from last season’s collapse.