There is a growing chance the Milwaukee Bucks will have two selections in the upcoming NBA Draft, one at No.10 and then another they get from whatever team snags Giannis Antetokounmpo. If that is the case, their list of draft workout attendees sure makes it seem like they could eye a guard with one of the picks and a big man—a possible Giannis replacement—with the other.
Bucks scouting the lead guard market
The Milwaukee Bucks have been looking to beef up their backcourt. Per The Athletic's Sam Vecenie (subscription required), they have been doing homework on Kingston Flemings, Christian Anderson Jr., Labaron Philon Jr., and Mikel Brown Jr. HoopsHype's workout tracker also caught that they have worked out Darius Acuff Jr. No one would be surprised if they took a guard.
Milwaukee could use a ball-handler to take pressure off Ryan Rollins—and potentially Kevin Porter Jr. if he returns—as defenses zero in on him. Any of these players linked to the Milwaukee Bucks would be a justifiable selection. Yet, if the Bucks want a guard, they will likely have to pounce on them with their 10th overall pick, as a good chunk of those players are projected to be gone by then.
Step one: Grab a guard at 10. Now, time for step two.
Bucks could grab a big man with a second pick
Vecenie mentions that Hannes Steinbach has also been connected to the Bucks. HoopsHype says the team has also worked out Chris Cenac. It would be a surprise if either of those players went top 10, especially with the assortment of guards set to be available. Instead, Milwaukee's best course of action would be to draft one of these two with a second first-round draft pick.
Currently, the Miami Heat look like the frontrunner to acquire Giannis, and the ability to trade the 13th overall pick in this draft is a significant factor. If the Milwaukee Bucks can acquire that, along with all of Miami's other valuable assets, they could complete step two of this plan by drafting a big man to fill out the frontcourt in Giannis Antetokounmpo's absence.
If the Milwaukee Bucks do indeed hit the reset button, it would make plenty of sense to kick off their rebuild/retool with a flashy new guard and big man who could grow with the franchise. The question is which ones will be available when the team is on the clock.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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