The 2024 NBA Draft is now a month away. Publications and websites are finalizing their mock drafts following the NBA Draft Combine coming to an end on May 19. Some teams will be looking for that franchise-defining player who can change their trajectory. The Milwaukee Bucks, however, will be looking to add prospects who can complement their team and help them reach their goal of winning another title in 2025.
In this year's draft, the Bucks have it slightly different compared to recent years, as they possess a late first-round pick (23rd) and a second-round pick (33rd) courtesy of the Portland Trail Blazers.
The roster is in desperate need of freshening up but with younger players. Entering the season, the Bucks had the oldest roster in the league with an average age of 28.21 years old. Eight of the players on the roster are over 31, and with some role players heading into free agency, the draft could be the perfect opportunity to add some youth and athleticism to the team.
The Bucks and the 2024 NBA Draft
The roster does have young players who can contribute in A.J Green, Andre Jackson Jr. and MarJon Beauchamp, who have all contributed in the last two seasons. Yet, whether Doc Rivers and the front office see them as potential consistent role players is up to them.
Chris Livingston is another name to monitor. He was the final pick in the 2023 draft and signed the biggest deal for a final pick in the NBA Draft ever, so they have belief in his talent. Yet, he featured in just 21 games this past season.
All four of those named play the wing position, so the Bucks may look to add to the backcourt or frontcourt in the draft. Brook Lopez is 35 years old and is heading into the final year of his contract, so a center to take over in the long term could be on their radar.
Behind Damian Lillard, Cameron Payne started the season as the backup point guard before being traded for Patrick Beverley, who is a free agent and turns 36 in July. The guard position is another area that will need addressing.
Defense was a concern early in the season under Adrian Griffin, but Doc Rivers soon got it back to a decent level at the expense of the offense. Adding a two-way player at the guard position would be of great use to the Bucks. Malik Beasley, another free agent, struggled in the final weeks of the season, where he found himself coming off the bench, and those issues carried over into the postseason.
The mock drafts all have the Bucks going very similar routes in the first round as they look to address the backup center position and then go for a guard or wing in the second round. Here, we take a look at the mock drafts from ESPN, The Ringer and Bleacher Report to rank the selections they predict the Bucks will go with.
6. Terrence Shannon Jr., SG/SF, Illinois (ESPN 33rd pick)
Terrence Shannon Jr. from Illinois is coming into the draft after five years of college (three of those at Texas Tech) and will turn 24 on July 30. The 6-foot-5 wing is a great defender both on and off-ball, with a crafty ability to finish at the basket. ESPN's draft experts (subscription required) think he would be a good fit for the Bucks.
His speed and ability to change the pace of a game could be useful to the Milwaukee Bucks, but whether his veteran teammates can keep up is the question. The Indiana Pacers were just too quick and athletic for the Bucks throughout this season, and Shannon Jr. would address that somewhat.
In the 2023-24 season at Illinois, he averaged 23 points, four rebounds, 2.3 assists and a block on splits of .475/.362/.801. His experience with those five years in college could help him be a league-ready player, with his skills more finely tuned than some of the freshmen going straight into the draft. This does, however, question what his ceiling is and how much further his game can grow as a player, as he will not have the extra years that the 19 and 20-year-old prospects will have.
Defense is his strong suit and where he excels. His ability to be explosive in transition with chase-down blocks and crashing the boards is key. The reason he is sixth on this list is that the Bucks took both Jackson Jr. and Livingston in last season's draft, so it would add to the logjam at the wing position. Khris Middleton is still on the roster, and Pat Connaughton, Green and Beauchamp will still feel they have a role to play. Jae Crowder is a free agent, but he tends to play the four.
He missed out on the combine due to an injury, and there is also a cloud over his season as he is facing rape allegations with a court date of June 10. NBA teams will be focused on that date and the result. Shannon was suspended in late December by Illinois, having been charged. In January, a judge then ruled that the university violated his civil rights, so he was reinstated.
5. Harrison Ingram, SF/PF, North Carolina (Bleacher Report 33rd Pick)
Harrison Ingram could be the Bucks' replacement for Jae Crowder and a sneaky pick to take in the second round, which Bleacher Report has in their mock. He is only 6-foot-5 but can play both at small forward and power forward with good playmaking skills and a great ability to crash the boards.
He spent two years at Stanford before transferring to North Carolina, where he averaged 12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Ingram's shooting improved drastically in 2023-24, with him jumping up to 43 percent from the field and going from 32 percent from deep to a brilliant 38.5 percent. His free throws still sit around 60 percent, which will need work, and there are questions about his shooting season being a one-off or whether the uptick will continue into the NBA.
The transfer to North Carolina also saw him change his playmaking role to where he played out of the post and still looked just as comfortable as when he was a pick-and-roll ball handler at Stanford. Having another playmaker on the court with Damian Lillard could help the Bucks generate different looks and open up the game plan more should they select Ingram.
In terms of his ability to create his own shot, it does need work. He struggled to create any separation in the midrange and at the rim when driving to the basket. Again, like Shannon, he would add to the number of young players at the wing position, although he does have the upside of being able to play power forward. Ingram is also 21, so he may have more room to grow than Shannon.
If the Bucks do decide to take another wing and find their replacement for Crowder, Ingram is not a bad player to consider. He has plenty of upside, but having taken Jackson Jr. and Livingston last season, it would feel like a strange pick for them to make.
4. Mark Sears, PG, Alabama (The Ringer 33rd Pick)
With this draft having plenty of great big men, it does feel like the Bucks would be best going with a power forward or center in the first round, but Mark Sears would be a great pick early in the second round. He was one of the point guards we looked at the Bucks potentially taking in this draft, and The Ringer has him heading to Milwaukee with the 33rd pick.
Brook Lopez is at an age where the Bucks need to plan for without him. The backup point guard could be addressed with a veteran free agent, but Sears could be a really sneaky pick worth considering. The 22-year-old comes into the draft with four years of college experience. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 21.5 points, four assists, four rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, with great shooting splits of .508/.436/.857.
Learning from Damian Lillard would be great for any young guard. His ability to score from all levels would be effective for any team, and he is one of the more league-ready guards in this draft class. Sears' strength is in his shooting and ability to be the ball handler in the pick-and-roll. At 5-foot-11, he may see himself targeted on switches, but he did hold his own in college and brought the intensity on the defensive end.
One key area he needs to work on is his footwork to create shots, especially off the dribble. He can occasionally be slightly careless with the ball on possessions, so his ability to reduce turnovers is another area that needs work.
If he is available at 33, Sears would be a good pick for the Bucks. He has plenty of upside and can fill the role of backup point guard. His size could be a concern to some, but with the Bucks already having a plethora of giants, he would have a wall behind him that can make up for it.
3. DaRon Holmes II, C, Dayton (The Ringer 23rd Pick)
When it comes to replacing Lopez, DaRon Holmes II of Dayton could be a nice fit to bring rim protection and the ability to stretch the floor. Defensively, his shot-blocking is exceptional, averaging 2.1 blocks per game in his final year with the Flyers.
Holmes averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists on splits of .544/.386/.713. His 3-point percentage was way up last season, having shot around the 27 percent mark in his first two seasons. He also plays well as a screener and cutter, as well as having tremendous ability to catch lobs in transition.
The center prides himself on his hustle, which is why he excels so much on the defensive end and in transition. What he has over Lopez is his athleticism and switchability. His footwork still needs some work, but on the perimeter, he can be a nuisance and use his length to disrupt smaller players on switches.
In terms of areas to improve, in the post, he is yet to develop a strong game there. Yet, he is still good enough to fight through mismatches, which teams would look to use him in. Turnovers are a slight problem, with him averaging 2.2 this season and 2.3 in 2022-23, so smarter defenders at the NBA level will be looking to catch him.
Questions do remain over whether his 3-point shooting is really that good or an outlier, but working with someone like Lopez, who has developed that over the years, would be of benefit to Holmes.
His draft stock has risen due to his ability to stretch the floor, making him a good long-term replacement for Lopez, should it translate to the NBA. Some boards have him going in the second round, but Holmes would be a solid pick for the Bucks and help with their frontcourt depth.
2. Yves Missi, C, Baylor (ESPN 23rd Pick)
Another center that could fall to the Bucks is Yves Missi of Baylor, who has a truly incredible story. Growing up in Cameroon before moving to the U.S. in 2021, he has only been playing organized basketball for three years and was a five-star prospect before committing to Baylor, where he played just one season.
He averaged 10.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in his only season with the Bears but is still expected to be a first-round pick. At 6-foot-11, he has great size and uses that to great use as a shot blocker and rebounder. Surprisingly, he is a disruptor on the perimeter, so the switchability would be useful for any team that takes him.
Missi's frame sets him up well, as he is able to absorb contact and finish with the athleticism that can make him a lob threat. At just 20, he is still so raw and has so much room to grow. With what he has done in just three years, the sky is the limit for what he can pick up from NBA players and then through higher-level coaching to develop his game.
With just three years under his belt, he may not be the most league-ready player, but he can certainly improve across the board. He is yet to develop a deep shot, so when it comes to spacing with Giannis Antetokounmpo, it may see the Bucks not go to Missi or look to use the two players in different lineups.
An area of work is his fouling, as he finds himself biting at pump fakes. At the next level, higher-skilled big men will look to bait him to go to the line. Missi only played 23 minutes per game at Baylor, which is of concern when it comes to giving him big minutes at the next level, so he will need to prove that he can handle the workload and intensity at the NBA level.
Yves Missi's stock is incredibly high, as his physical tools are elite already, and his defensive ability can thrive in any scheme. With so much ahead of him and room to grow, there is the potential for him to be molded into an elite NBA center. The Bucks may find him to be a great backup to learn from Lopez and keep that great towering defense while also working on building an offensive game further away from the basket.
1. Kyle Filipowski, PF/C, Duke (Bleacher Report 23rd Pick)
Taking the top spot is Kyle Filipowski of Duke, who Bleacher Report has the Bucks taking in the first round. He is 6-foot-11 and is versatile enough to play at the four or five with an ability to stretch the floor. Filipowski could be the center that takes over from Brook Lopez in the long run.
In the 2023-24 season with Duke, he averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocks on splits of .505/.348/.671. He can play any role in the offense, as he possesses the skills to be a ball-handler and run actions, but he is still strong in the screening and cutting game, too. Surrounding him with shooters could be the way to get the best out of him, so a pick-and-roll involving Filipowski and Khris Middleton or Damian Lillard could be a deadly duo with his ability to roll or pop.
That shooting ability is what has him in the top spot, as it separates him from Missi. He could come in and take the role that Lopez plays without taking away the lack of shooting from the center position. Defensively, he is solid and averaged a steal per game to go with his blocks. He likes to get his hands in to disrupt opponents on the perimeter.
The main area he needs to improve is his ability to score at the rim when faced with bigger and more physical defenders. Developing strength and muscle would set him up to be more successful in this area of his game, and that will come with time. Similar to the other players mentioned and most young players in general, turnovers will be something he needs to cut down on, but that comes with the experience of playing.
Filipowski, if available with the 23rd pick, would be an almost perfect player for the Bucks to select. His ability to stretch the floor is what sets him apart, and as the Bucks look for the successor to Lopez, he fits the mold perfectly. The defense is still very strong both on the interior and the perimeter. He looks like a real prospect who could go on to do big things in Milwaukee.
With a month still to go until the NBA Draft, mock drafts may change, and it will be interesting to see who the Bucks invite to their workouts. Make sure to stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks draft news and analysis as the event edges closer.