Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports has the Milwaukee Bucks taking Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard with the 47th pick in his latest mock 2025 NBA Draft. Ryan, brother of Andrew, the thorn in Milwaukee's side in consecutive playoff runs, has the potential to be an impact player, but his height may hinder his ability to be a plus defender at the next level.
Ryan Nembhard's defense is a major question mark for the Bucks
Since the Milwaukee Bucks traded Jrue Holiday, they've been looking for steady guard defense in the backcourt. Drafting Nembhard wouldn't provide much assistance. While he's crafty when it comes to generating steals - he averaged an impressive 1.7 per game this past season - Nembhard stands at just 6-feet, 167 lbs, making him severely undersized in essentially every single one-on-one scenario.
With that particular build, opposing guards and forwards could hunt Nembhard as an easy mismatch every single trip down the floor. Bucks fans will begrudgingly remember the 2022 NBA Playoffs, where 6-foot-3 George Hill was hunted by the much taller Boston Celtics whenever he checked in. A similar fate could be in Nembhard's future, as he's even smaller than Hill.
In short, Nembhard isn't doing much to fix Milwaukee's defensive issues, which the team needs to patch this summer.
O'Connor makes the point that the Milwaukee Bucks could use Nembhard's shot creation and ability to provide a jolt on offense in Damian Lillard's absence. He's absolutely correct, especially with there being no guarantee that Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. return this summer. The Bucks could use a spark in the backcourt, but Nembhard's defensive limitations make him a hard sell for the franchise.
The Milwaukee Bucks should be looking for taller guards. That's why retaining Rollins and Porter, who both stand at around 6-foot-4, makes sense. They're taller, lengthy guards who can hold up against bigger players at times. As evidenced by the Finals-bound OKC Thunder, in today's NBA, teams need as many tall, lengthy defenders as they can get to succeed.
The Bucks haven't completely shied away from looking at smaller guards ahead of the draft, as they have worked out Alabama's Mark Sears, who stands at just 6-foot-1. It wouldn't be surprising if they also worked out Ryan Nembhard before the festivities, but it would be quite the twist if they ended up adding him with that precious 47th overall draft selection.
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