The flaws of the Milwaukee Bucks were on display during their first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. Brook Lopez is heading into free agency, and the 37-year-old struggled to have an impact against quicker, more athletic players in that series. His replacement may be sitting there late in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Milwaukee doesn't have a lot of draft capital for the future, and they only hold the 47th pick in this year's NBA Draft. That player won't be a star. However, the Bucks need to find a gem in the second round and squash their poor draft history. This year's draft class is strong from top to bottom, with plenty of talent that can help in the present and future.
Lopez built a brilliant partnership with Giannis Antetokounmpo during his Milwaukee tenure. Both have great interior defense, and Lopez's ability to stretch the floor has been key to the Bucks' success. His lack of athleticism was on display for the world this year, and the Milwaukee Bucks need to move on in the frontcourt to improve in that regard.
Milwaukee needs to hit on a draft pick, and there are ready-made Lopez replacements sitting in the second round. Here are a few.
1. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner had a brilliant senior season, averaging 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.7 blocks per game.
He is an old-fashioned type center at 7-foot-1, with a big wingspan and a great interior presence, offering an offensive lob threat. An area he has improved in is his passing. Kalkbrenner isn't a player to playmake through, but in the post and pick-and-roll game, he has great vision, and surrounding him and Giannis Antetokounmpo with shooters would be a successful formula.
In the 2024-25 season, he shot 65.3 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from deep. Over time, he can improve his outside shooting. He takes a low-volume approach at the moment, but we saw Lopez develop into a stretch big during his time in Wisconsin once he focused on it more.
Areas to work on include his shot creation and rebounding. At the five spot, he would be dependent on teammates creating opportunities, and Giannis and the guards Milwaukee hopes to keep can set him up. A red flag is his perimeter defense, something we saw Lopez struggle with. At 23 years old, the hope would be that he can still improve on that.
2. Henri Veesaar, Arizona
Arizona center Henri Veesaar will likely be on the board in the 40s, and the sophomore is an ideal replacement for Lopez. He brings shooting touch with splits of .592/.327/.686, while adding the necessary shot-blocking and being much more agile than the others on this list.
Last season, he averaged 9.4 points, five rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. Veesaar is another lob threat, with a great ability to score inside due to his quick leaping. The outside scoring can grow, as the Estonian is still just 20 years old. His facilitating skills are surprisingly good and similar to other European bigs, avoiding turnovers but finding cutters in the post and when rolling himself.
In 2024-25, he often found himself in foul trouble, and improving his discipline can be a real factor in his success in the NBA.
The 7-footer does need to bulk up, listed at just 235lbs, which will see him be pushed around at the next level, but who better to follow in putting on muscle than Giannis Antetokounmpo?
3. Tomislav Ivisic, Illinois
The Croatian Ivisic twins are expected to be there late in the second round, and Illinois' Tomislav Ivisic is a stretch big that excels in the paint on both ends of the floor. Last season, he averaged 13 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks on shooting splits of .492/.357/.750. The 3-point shooting is what makes him stand out; he does it smoothly as a standstill and as a pick-and-pop threat.
Lopez was always a great post player, and Ivisic follows suit, with a crafty hook shot to partner his power moves. Similar to Veesaar, Ivisic has that European center passing style in the high post and from the perimeter.
Despite being a great interior defender, Ivisic can be exposed on switches and dragged out to the perimeter. It will be extremely difficult for the Milwaukee Bucks to find a center that can do that with their lack of assets. His athleticism isn't the flashiest, but the stretchability, rebounding and interior presence are enough for the Milwaukee Bucks to keep an eye on.
We still don't know what the Milwaukee Bucks are planning on doing with Brook Lopez. There is the possibility of him returning on a cheaper deal, but some teams may look at him as the final piece and offer him a bigger deal. These are just three of the guys Milwaukee should look at when it comes to the draft next month if they are targeting a big man.