With the 2025 NBA Draft approaching, the Milwaukee Bucks are clearly prioritizing experienced players based on their pre-draft workouts. This strategy aligns with their goal to remain competitive next season, especially if Giannis Antetokounmpo extends his time with the team.
The Bucks hold the 47th pick in this year's draft. While that pick isn't expected to yield a franchise player, the second round has a history of delivering valuable talent. Just look at what Milwaukee found in former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon.
With Damian Lillard possibly out for the whole season, the Bucks are going to be short on two-way guards with size, feel, and scoring versatility. As it is, they've had to depend on relatively inexperienced guards in the playoffs.
The upcoming NBA Draft might have just the guy — and they’ve reportedly already worked him out.
Shulga looks like a two-guard who can play right away
Max Shulga, a 6-foot-4 combo guard from VCU, is flying under the radar.
He’s relatively old for a prospect (23 years old by the time the draft rolls around), is not very flashy, and doesn’t come from a high-profile program. But he can play the game the right way. And for a Milwaukee Bucks team that lacks young talent and second-round capital, Shulga could be a sneaky win-now find — whether in the draft or as an undrafted free agent.
He’s a consistent shooter (39.2 percent from three throughout his college career), moves the ball well, and has real craft attacking closeouts. He plays under control, sees the floor, and has some real playmaking instincts. He's not the most athletic player in the world, but that also means that Shulga’s game is built around reading what’s available and making the right play — a skill that often scales better to the NBA than raw scoring volume.
He’s also not a defensive sieve. He averaged over two steals per game and understands help concepts. He’s not a stopper, and he's definitely prone to being targeted by mismatch-hunting teams, but he competes and he thinks the game. Think Ryan Rollins here; certainly not at the level of AJ Green, but more than capable of holding his own.
In a lot of ways, Shulga fits the archetype that both Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. were expected to offer and occasionally still do — a second-unit ball handler with scoring juice and enough playmaking to survive in hybrid lineups. The difference? Shulga is cheaper, lower-risk, and doesn’t come with the baggage.
No one’s saying he’s going to be the next Malcolm Brogdon. But if the Bucks are looking for a smart, tough, floor-spacing guard to fill out their rotation without burning a roster spot or tax money, Shulga should be near the top of the list.
He's projected to go somewhere between the late second round or go undrafted altogether, which makes him a totally realistic target for them to aim for in the coming months. And considering they've already worked him out, it's clear he's at the very least on the front office's radar.
Every year, a role player slips through the cracks. Milwaukee has the chance to get ahead of it and right their past offseason wrongs. They just have to take it.