Joe Mazzulla showing up in Turkey isn’t just a random offseason headline; it’s a blueprint.
According to EuroHoops, the Celtics' head tactician was seen courtside in Istanbul for a Turkish League playoff game to watch former Wisconsin standout Nigel Hayes-Davis, who has carved a solid career for himself overseas after he began his pro career with a pair of underwhelming years in the NBA.
The Celtics are the NBA’s gold standard right now, and their head coach watching games across the globe is a signal: serious contenders leave no stone unturned. Especially when they’re trying to sustain dominance with limited cap flexibility.
That matters because it's becoming increasingly clear that Giannis Antetokounmpo is here to stay. And as long as the Greek Freak is in town, Milwaukee's biggest priority is to compete and get better. That's a little hard to do right now.
The Bucks have no picks, no cap space, so they better start scouting
Considering where Hayes-Davis graduated, that should hit home in Milwaukee.
Just like the Celtics, the Bucks are strapped for cash, don’t have premium draft capital, and have the second-oldest roster in the league. If they’re going to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo’s championship window alive, they can’t just shop in the NBA clearance bin. They need to start mining international leagues for talent.
Other teams have already followed suit. San Antonio unearthed Jeremy Sochan’s European tape before others fully bought in. Houston took a chance on Alperen Sengun. Denver struck gold with Nikola Jokić. It's already clearer than ever that the NBA is an international league. Yet most teams are still content to scout almost exclusively in US-based universities.
As for Milwaukee? Their last serious international hit was… Giannis himself.
That’s a problem. For a team without cap room or trade assets, scouting has to be their competitive advantage. There are EuroLeague wings right now who could give them more than Danilo Gallinari did way back when. There are Lithuanian guards with better defensive upside than what they’re getting from the back end of the bench.
Teams like Boston are hunting in markets where upside is cheap. Milwaukee, too often, is recycling guys already proven to be replacement-level.
This summer, while everyone watches free agency buzz, keep an eye on who’s buying European airline tickets. If the Bucks are serious about fixing their depth, they need to stop waiting for value to fall in their lap and start looking for it overseas.
Joe Mazzulla was in Turkey. The Bucks should be in Spain, France, or wherever the next undervalued rotation player is hiding. And that's because they no longer have the luxury of ignoring international scouting.