Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks selected Tyler Smith, a G League product, in the second round of the NBA Draft. A new mock has them doing the same thing this year.
The latest NBA mock draft from Sports Illustrated has the Bucks taking Dink Pate from the G League's Mexico City Capitanes. Pate and Smith were actually teammates during the 2023-24 season, sharing the court as members of the G League Ignite. Now, if this mock draft comes to fruition, they could be teammates once again, this time as members of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Analyzing Dink Pate's potential fit with the Milwaukee Bucks
Since it became a viable option, plenty of players have opted to take the G League route over going to college. The Bucks haven't shied away from taking those players, drafting MarJon Beauchamp, yet another G League Ignite product, in 2022, Tyler Smith last year and AJ Johnson, who played a year overseas, in the first round last season. Pate could be their next non-traditional experiment.
Pate is a raw 19-year-old, just like Smith was last season. There were flashes from the guard last year, but he looked like a player who still needs another year to grow. Sure, the Milwaukee Bucks could look to unearth his potential by sticking him in the G League with the Wisconsin Herd, like they have done with Tyler Smith, but that might not be the best use of their pick.
For a Milwaukee team that is determined to go all-in now, another young prospect who undeniably has traits that make him a desirable player if he can hone in on them, but may be a few years away from doing so, might be a risk, especially in a class that could have an assortment of experienced players available when the Milwaukee Bucks are on the clock.
With four players under contract at the time of this writing, using that pick on someone who can be of service right away may even be a necessity for the Milwaukee Bucks. Pate could very well become an essential contributor somewhere, but just like with Tyler Smith last season, the primary question that comes to mind is when exactly that might be.
Pate undoubtedly has the potential to be a solid scorer, and he has the build (6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan) for NBA defense, but he has to grow into both. The Bucks simply might not have the time to wait.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.