The Milwaukee Bucks drafting Nate Ament 13th overall felt like a massive gamble to many, especially with more proven players on the board. One such player was Dailyn Swain, who went 15th overall to the Chicago Bulls. It's early, but Swain hasn't given the Bucks much reason to regret passing on him, as his Summer League performance hasn't stood out yet.
Swain's Summer League stock isn't high
In two Summer League outings so far, Swain is averaging 5.5 points while shooting just 15.5 percent from the floor. That includes zero percent from distance. He has still made an impact on the boards, hauling in 13 total, but the poor offense looms large here. For a player coming off what was a strong scoring season at Texas, Swain hasn't been able to buy a bucket.
To be fair, it's not like Ament has been lighting it up, either. In three games, he is now averaging a mere seven points and 3.7 rebounds per game. His efficiency is much better, shooting 47.1 percent on his field goal attempts, including a decent 37.5 percent on his triple tries, but neither player has exactly jumped off the page early on.
The difference is that this was expected from Ament, who is the uber-raw 19-year-old prospect who everyone knew would need time. One of the biggest arguments in favor of taking Swain was that he had three years of college under his belt and would be ready to contribute sooner. That hasn't looked like the case early on. It certainly makes watching Nate Ament struggle easier to withstand.
Both players are still getting their feet wet
At the end of the day, none of this should be too surprising. Ament is 19, while Swain is 20, and they are getting their first NBA action ever in these games. Both players struggling to some degree is far from an unheard-of phenomenon in today's NBA. All both players can do is take what they learn and aim to grow from it.
These struggles could very well help both players grow. Swain has the confidence and the build to be a legitimate two-way threat. Ament, with some added strength and hard-earned experience, looks as if he could be a force on the wing. It's all about potential. Some believe Swain's will be unearthed first, but he hasn't given any indication of that yet, and that's just fine. It's still very early.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
Add us as a preferred source on Google