Milwaukee Bucks: Where does current shooting guard rotation stand?

Shooting guard No. 4 – Sam Merrill

The Milwaukee Bucks selected Sam Merrill 60th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, and he is ready to contribute from the start. When asked what role he could envision himself playing, the 24-year-old Merrill answered:

"“I feel like I can be a guy that can earn some minutes and can really help this team, not only with my ability to shoot the ball, which is what everyone sees when they see me. I feel like I’m an underrated defender. I feel like I can defend at this level, I feel like I can pass, and can do the smart guy things that a lot of the guys on this team can do… I want to earn minutes and I’m going to work towards that.”"

As Merrill mentioned, his 3-point shooting is surely his strongest quality. Throughout his four-year collegiate career at Utah State, Merrill logged a 42.0 percent 3-point averaged on 5.2 attempts per game. That prolific shooting alone will help the guard carve out a role for himself, but if he can expand his game beyond that, Sam Merril could develop into something special with the Bucks.

Shooting guard No. 3 – Pat Connaughton

For the past two seasons, Pat Connaughton has been a key rotational player for the Milwaukee Bucks. Appearing in 128 games in that span, the former second round pick averaged 6.1 points on .461/.331/.750 shooting splits, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Connaughton received a raise this offseason as he inked a three-year extension with the team worth $16 million.

While that hefty extension is certainly questionable coming off of the guard’s subpar postseason showing, he is now locked in with the Bucks for the foreseeable future. Connaughton’s two-way efforts and energetic presence make him a viable rotational player for this Milwaukee team, and they are clearly high on what he brings to the table.