The Milwaukee Bucks very clearly need to add a small forward, with Taurean Prince currently serving as the lone one on the roster. With the free agent market shrinking and the trade market dry, options are running quite low, but free agent Caleb Houstan is a compelling player Milwaukee should at least do some homework on.
Caleb Houstan checks off a lot of boxes for the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee has been on a youth binge this summer, locking down key pieces such as Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., and Jericho Sims while bringing in Myles Turner. If they want to keep the trend alive, they should give Houstan, 22, a call. Beyond just his age, he has an intriguing build and skill set that could make him a quality candidate to fill Milwaukee's lingering small forward void.
Right off the bat, Houstan shoots the ball incredibly well for a 6-foot-8 forward, knocking down an impressive 37.2 percent of his career triples, including 40 percent last year. Houstan was especially efficient on his "wide open" looks this past season, going 41-of-81 (50.6 percent). He ranked second in the entire NBA in percentage among players to attempt at least 81 wide open 3-point looks.
That type of sweet perimeter shooting is always welcome next to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
While he's mostly known for his shooting, Houstan also impressed some Orlando Magic fans last year with his defense. He won't be making any All-Defensive teams anytime soon, but for a 6-foot-8 player, he moves well and can defend players of similar builds. It goes without saying the Milwaukee Bucks could use another quality lengthy defender.
On the downside, Houstan isn't some electric athlete like some of the players Milwaukee has been linked to. In fact, among active players, he's the tallest to have not registered a dunk in a game, per a fun graphic from The Athletic. Another fun fact, Milwaukee's AJ Green is fifth on that list at 6-foot-4. Even if he's not dunking, Houstan can make his mark like Green does with his shooting and defense.
At this point, Houstan's market is dry. He's an unproven name looking for a landing spot where he can spread his wings. The small-forward hungry Milwaukee Bucks could very well give him that, banking on him to be a quality 3-and-D wing. On a cheap, team-friendly contract, bringing in the 22-year-old would be the definition of a low-risk, high-reward move.
Perhaps former Orlando Magic teammate Gary Harris could do some recruiting to lure the youngster to the Bucks.
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