The pre-draft process is always very interesting in how you can glean some insight into how these organizations operate, what type of players they’re looking to target and part of that comes through in the pre-draft workouts and the Milwaukee Bucks have conducted quite a few so far.
Sitting with the 24th overall pick in the draft, the Bucks have reportedly worked out at least 21 players with a few weeks to go before the big day according to HoopsHype. Of course, they may have brought in more guys than the ones listed and they can still work guys out but it’s still an interesting list of names that they’ve brought in to this point.
Which 2022 NBA Draft prospects have the Milwaukee Bucks brought in so far?
I won’t list out all 21 names, but here are some of the standout names for either name recognition or potential fit on the Bucks.
- Jaden Hardy, guard, G League Ignite
- Jalen Williams, guard, Santa Clara
- Christian Braun, wing, Kansas
- Josh Minott, wing, Memphis
- Collin Gillespie, guard, Villanova
- Kofi Cockburn, big, Illinois
- Shareef O’Neal, big, LSU
- Jalen Wilson, wing, Kansas
Out of the names listed above and for the majority of the guys they’ve worked out as of now, they aren’t players that will be considered with the 24th pick. Gillespie, Cockburn, O’Neal, and Wilson would all be available late in the second round or go undrafted as potential names to fill out the Summer League roster.
However, the first four names will certainly raise an eyebrow as they’re projected to be in the range that the Bucks will be picking (barring a trade, of course).
What do the players that the Milwaukee Bucks have worked out tell us?
Based strictly on the names that should be available at 24th overall, the Bucks don’t seem interested in taking a big man. Now, again, they could still bring in a big man in the coming days and weeks, but so far they’ve either worked out guards or wings.
Both of those are needs for the Bucks and all four (Hardy, Williams, Braun, Minott) would fit those needs. Drafting for need is always a risk because you could overdraft a player and miss out on someone who’s clearly better because you wanted to fill a need. If someone unexpected falls that isn’t the biggest need (say, Mark Williams from Duke), then absolutely take him.
Anyway, starting with the guards. Hardy and Williams are both guys who can create for themselves. Milwaukee desperately needs more offensive creators in their backcourt given that George Hill and Jevon Carter (should he be re-signed) are defense-first guys.
We’ve covered Hardy and he’s a popular name that has fallen down draft boards after initially being thought of as a top five pick coming into this season. He’s arguably the most polarizing prospect in the draft.
Williams was a relative unknown in terms of being a first-round prospect coming into the season, but a monster season for mid-major Santa Clara has catapulted him onto the radar. A 6-foot-6, 190 pound guard that has a 7-foot wingspan, Williams averaged 18 points on 60 percent true shooting and 25 percent usage along with 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.2 steals. He shot nearly 40 percent from 3 on decent volume (3.2 attempts per game) and at 21-years-old would be a guy who could get minutes right away.
Braun and Minott played more on the wing and would provide some much-needed depth behind Khris Middleton. Braun is a good shooter and solid defender but isn’t the self-creator that Hardy and Williams are.
Minott is more what the Bucks are looking for size-wise at 6-foot-8 and 205 pounds with a near 7-foot wingspan. He’s very raw after only one year at Memphis where he played under 15 minutes per game. He’s someone that has risen as his frame and athleticism suggest there’s a lot of upside with Minott.
Milwaukee has covered its bases in terms of guys that have upside (Hardy, Minott), experienced players (Braun), and an unknown with an intriguing skillset (Williams).
It also suggests that they could be looking at trading back in the first round as well with how many projected second-round picks they’ve worked out so far. If they could trade back to the end of the first round or early second round while adding another pick in the future or even in the same draft, I’d be more than ok with that as well.
A team like the Bucks are smart and will always do their due diligence on as many prospects that they think will fit into their culture both on and off the floor. We’ve seen that with their pre-draft workouts.
We’ll see what the Milwaukee Bucks decide to do with the 24th overall pick on June 23rd.