The Milwaukee Bucks have a number of former players suiting up for other teams -- around the NBA and around the world. That includes former sharpshooting wing Tony Snell, who has now signed with a new team to continue his career.
The reality of the NBA often creates unique pairings of player and team. Gone are the days of the Boston Celtics drafting Tommy Heinsohn in a "territorial draft" because of his New England connections. Teams take players for a variety of factors, and it's very rarely where they are from.
Tony Snell is from Los Angeles, California, where he grew up and played high school basketball alongside Kawhi Leonard. Snell then played college basketball at New Mexico, suiting up for three seasons before entering the NBA Draft early.
Then the geography of his life changed entirely. Snell was drafted 20th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, a Midwest Team. After three quiet seasons, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks -- another Great Lakes, long winter, down to earth Midwestern Team. Gone was the heat and glam of L.A. and the Southwest United States.
The pairing of Snell and the Bucks was an excellent one. Snell improved his numbers across the board for the Bucks, shooting a sizzling 40.3 percent from deep across three seasons and becoming a full-time rotation player and frequent starter for the team.
Tony Snell never developed an offensive game to create shots for himself and others, but as an off-ball dependent player he fit his role well. He shot a solid volume of 3-pointers for the time and hit a lot of them, exactly what the Bucks needed on teams with plenty of shotmakers like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
If Snell had been a little better of a perimeter defender, someone the team could truly attach to opposing wings and be comfortable that they were handled, he would have been even more valuable to Milwaukee and potentially stayed in town for even longer. Still, he was a starter and rotation player on really good Bucks defenses and fit into their scheme well.
Tony Snell moved on to other teams
After three seasons in Milwaukee, the Bucks moved on from Tony Snell and he continued his Midwest tour by joining the Detroit Pistons. A year later it was on to the Atlanta Hawks, where he shot a blistering 56.9 percent from 3-point range in 47 games.
A year later, however, Snell was out of the league -- but hung around the G League, hoping to make it back onto an NBA roster. He played with the Maine Celtics (RIP Red Claws) and Sious Falls Skyforce the last two seasons.
This summer, however, it was time for a chance, and Tony Snell packed up his sniper and headed overseas. Snell signed a contract with Boulazac Basket Dordogne in France where he is immediately the sole player with real NBA connections. They won the second division championship last season and moved up to the top league in France, and are upgrading their talent base as a result.
Shooting is necessary in the NBA; it's a cheat code in European basketball, where play in the paint can get brutal and where pouring in 3-pointers from the perimeter can blow open a game. If Snell can hold up defensively he has the potential to carve out a significant role for himself.
It's a far cry from Los Angeles, and nowhere near Milwaukee. But as Bucks fans think fondly of Tony Snell, perhaps they are cheered to know his career continues, this time in Midwest France.