Only 10 Rising Stars
If the Skills Challenge is a warm-up, then the Rising Stars Game is like getting out of bed. Apparently, the Bucks have been feeling sleepy on Friday afternoons.
Only 10 Bucks players have made it to this game since it was introduced in 1994, making it the fifth least-represented franchise. You could say that's a good thing since it could mean Milwaukee is being a good team and hasn't had high draft picks, but that is only true in the last few years and doesn't save the franchise for some questionable draft decisions.
Glenn Robinson was the first Bucks player in the game in 1995 and was followed by Vin Baker and Ray Allen in 1996 and 1997 respectively. At the time, this was a rookies-only game, which meant two things: players couldn't repeat as sophomores, so Robinson, Baker and Allen only played it once and could not face each other, and it was a bit easier to be selected since 16 first-year players made the game instead of the current 11, a number that was even lower in years prior.
The Bucks did get two players in 2006 when rookie Andrew Bogut faced sophomore TJ Ford, who hadn't been selected as a first-year but made it in his second season. Bogut played again in 2007, being followed by Yi Jianlian in 2008 and Brandon Jennings in 2010 and 2011.
In 2014, Giannis made his first appearance, starting a short streak in which he made it twice in 2014 and 2015. Jabari Parker made it in 2016 as a sophomore after suffering an injury in his rookie season, and Malcolm Brogdon made it in both of his first two seasons. He became then the last Bucks player to ever be a part of the game. We'll see for how long.
Stay tuned for more Bucks breakdowns.