The NBA draft is now less than a week away, and the Milwaukee Bucks have several ways they can go with the 24th pick. One player who may be available that they could be considering is Wendell Moore Jr., who had a fantastic junior season at Duke. Here are some of his strengths and weaknesses, along with an analysis of how he would fit on the Bucks right now.
Wendell Moore Jr.
- College: Duke
- Position: Wing
- Height: 6’5″
- Weight: 220 lbs
- Draft Age: 20
- Stats: 13.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game
- 50 percent from the field, 41 percent from three, 81 percent from the line
Milwaukee Bucks Draft Scouting Report: Wendell Moore Jr. – Strengths
Defense
Wendell Moore is a very good defender who has a combination of length and strength. His massive 7’0″ wingspan helps him contest shots, and he is very versatile with the ability to guard multiple positions. Opponents shot just 1-for-22 late in the shot clock with Moore defending them according to Synergy Sports, and he can really hound opponents and make their shots difficult. Moore has the quickness to defend on the perimeter and the size and strength to defend in the post. Moore should be a good, versatile defender at the next level.
Playmaking
Although he is a wing, Moore can handle the ball and be a playmaker, essentially playing “point-wing.” He has very good ball handling and vision, and he can lead the fast break in transition or run an offense in the half court. As a pick-and-roll ball handler, he is able to get into the paint and then make the right reads, averaging 4.4 assists to just 1.9 turnovers per game. Moore looks like a selfless, willing passer who makes the right plays and can do a lot for an offense.
Scoring/Shooting Upside
Wendell Moore Jr. possesses plenty of scoring upside, and his shooting numbers have improved greatly every season, going from a 21 percent three point shooter his freshman year to 41 percent his junior year. He shot an incredible 47.8 percent on spot up catch-and-shoot threes (95th percentile) and 45.7 percent on all jumpers in the half court (95th percentile) this past season, and he drains shots guarded or unguarded. Moore also excelled shooting off the dribble, making 40.6 percent of all dribble jumpers in the half court. His pull-up game game is really good when he uses it, especially out of the pick-and-roll (56.5 percent). Not only that, but when he gets to the paint with his size and length he can finish very well, shooting 58.7 percent around the basket. He has the potential to be a very nice scorer to go along with his playmaking and defense.
Winning Plays
There are always those players who seem like they just make winning plays, and Wendell Moore Jr. is one of them. He crashes the boards, hustles, is unselfish, knows how to get open without the ball, cuts to the hoop effectively and focuses off the ball on defense. All of those little things should be appealing to any NBA team because the teams who have role players who do those things to complement their stars are usually the most successful.