The Milwaukee Bucks have officially signed Cormac Ryan to a two-way contract out of their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. The wing can now split time between the Bucks and Herd. If he spends a good chunk of time in Milwaukee, someone will have to step into his shoes with the Herd in Oshkosh. Johnny Davis and Mark Sears feel like obvious candidates.
Davis, Sears have the potential to make the leap to NBA
Plenty of Bucks fans were excited when the Herd traded for Johnny Davis last offseason. In addition to being a former Wisconsin Badger, the guard was the 10th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, so he had plenty of potential in tow. While he never quite panned out at the NBA level, taking a flyer on Davis in this form was low-risk.
Sears was a nice undrafted pickup last summer after a successful collegiate career that ended at Alabama. While it's typically tough for small guards to stick in the NBA, Sears had the scoring and facilitating chops to try to overcome that narrative. Plus, the Milwaukee Bucks were in the market for some point guard depth.
Davis has looked fine with the Herd, posting averages of 14.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and a steal in 10 Tip-Off Tournament contests. He hasn't dominated like many thought he could. Sears has been a shot in the arm, averaging 17.3 points and 5.7 assists, and it's clear that he has some potential needing to be unearthed.
Both have taken a backseat to Ryan in the Herd's pecking order to this point.
With Ryan now likely to spend some time with the Milwaukee Bucks, someone will need to step up in his absence. Offensively, Ryan was taking over 15 shots per night. Now, those opportunities could go to someone like Davis or Sears. That should be music to their ears, as they are two players fighting for the opportunity that Ryan just earned.
The Milwaukee Bucks have shown that they are more than willing to reward and promote players in their farm system. Ryan Rollins and AJ Green were two-way players who spent time with the Herd before joining the Bucks on standard deals. Ryan is now looking to do the same. If they play well, Davis and Sears will likely have that same opportunity to earn an in-house promotion.
Who knows, perhaps another G Leaguer on the Herd could also capitalize on this move.
A window of opportunity just opened up in Oshkosh.
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