The 2023 NBA Draft will be a long night for the Milwaukee Bucks, as they hold the last overall pick, which will be 58th.
Mock drafts from various NBA outlets have started to come out with potential picks for the Bucks, and The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor had an interesting option for Milwaukee. In his latest mock, the Bucks finish the night off by taking young forward Emoni Bates from Eastern Michigan.
The Ringer’s 2023 NBA mock draft has Bucks taking a potential-filled wing
The appeal with Bates is clear to see. At one point, he was the No. 1 player in the 2022 recruiting class and was a hot commodity. While he had a rocky collegiate tenure, the potential is still there for Bates. He put up fine numbers this past season by posting 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per contest. At 19 years old, Bates is still plenty young and has room to grow. He’d be an exciting young talent for Milwaukee to develop.
As O’Connor notes, Bates is an exceptional shot-maker for a player of his size at 6-foot-8, which is something the Bucks need more of. He’s a versatile scorer in the sense that he can score from just about anywhere on the floor and could give this team a major boost off of the bench offensively. Ideally, Bates could add some size, as he’s just 179 pounds despite standing at 6-foot-8. If the wing does land with the Bucks, perhaps he could get on that Giannis Antetokounmpo diet.
One reason Bates has fallen so low in most mocks was his off-the-court troubles this past year, where he was caught carrying a concealed firearm with altered ID marks. The charges were later dropped. O’Connor notes that Bates has maturity issues and needs to land in a good environment, which Milwaukee could undeniably provide.
Antetokounmpo has often taken younger Bucks players, such as Thon Maker, Mamadi Diakite, and MarJon Beauchamp, under his wing, and he could certainly do the same with Bates to show him the ropes. The same goes for Adrian Griffin, who is known for his player development skills.
In short, if Bates is still on the board at 58, Milwaukee should not think twice about taking him.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis and 2023 mock drafts.