In the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, the Milwaukee Bucks have prioritized big men who can space the floor offensively to complement their star. However, bigger bodies who can shoot the long ball will be far and few between this offseason, especially in the NBA Draft, where the Bucks have begun working out a handful of big men with little to no jumper in tow. That may signal a change in philosophy.
Bucks should add athletes, not just floor spacers
So far, the Milwaukee Bucks have/had pre-draft workouts with UConn's Samson Johnson, Memphis' Dain Dainja, and NC State's Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. There will almost certainly be more names on the workout list soon enough, but right now, there's not a lot of shooting in the mix between these three young players.
Johnson shot just nine 3-pointers during his four years of college, making one. Dainja only attempted one during his four seasons. Huntley-Hatfield was more active, shooting 58 triples over his four years, but he only made 18 of them. As evidenced by the numbers, these guys will do most of their damage on offense closer to the hoop.
While they don't provide floor spacing, they are mobile big men with some athletic ability. One may argue the Milwaukee Bucks need that in the frontcourt more than floor spacing. For as good as he's been over the years, Brook Lopez got benched in the postseason due to his lack of mobility when it came to defending the Pacers. Getting younger and more athletic would make plenty of sense.
It's clunky on paper, but Giannis paired with a non-shooting big showed flashes this past year when it was Jericho Sims. The two were a terrifying duo for opposing offenses due to their ability to switch and stick with their matchups. There is no guarantee any of these prospects can replicate that, but they've all shown glimpses of solid mobility and athletic ability.
To be clear, the Milwaukee Bucks likely aren't looking at Johnson, Dainja, or Huntley-Hatfield as their next starting center. In fact, they all face an uphill battle to get drafted. However, as an undrafted free agent or someone they stash in the G League, picking up more mobile big men to develop would be justifiable for a Milwaukee team that needs frontcourt renovations.
Furthermore, the Milwaukee Bucks' willingness to work out big men without a jumper shows that they aren't opposed to bringing in other non-spacers via other avenues. Perhaps that means bringing back Jericho Sims for another go-round or adding someone in free agency. Whatever the case, it's clear that the team's frontcourt could look vastly different next season.
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