Ranking top 5 guard prospects for the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2024 NBA Draft

2. Jamal Shead (Houston)

2023-24 stats:
6-foot-1, 200 pounds (6-foot-3 wingspan)
12.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists
41 percent field goal shooting, 31 percent 3-point shooting, 78 percent free throw shooting

It is no secret that the Bucks are desperately in need of perimeter defense, and Jamal Shead was one of the most disruptive guard defenders in the nation last season, averaging 2.2 steals per game. He is definitely undersized for a guard at just 6-foot-1, but he is a bulldog on defense with strength and intensity (Jevon Carter-esque) that should make him impactful on that end of the floor.

Shead isn't a very good shooter (29.6 percent for his college career), but he is a great playmaker who was among the nation's assist leaders last season at 6.3 per game. He also can be a decent mid-range scorer out of the pick-and-roll with his float game. If the Bucks are looking for a backup guard who can run an offense off the bench and be a defensive bulldog, Shead can do that for them.

1. KJ Simpson (Colorado)

2023-24 stats:
6-foot-2, 190 pounds, (6-foot-5 wingspan)
19.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists
49 percent field goal shooting, 43 percent 3-point shooting, 88 percent free throw shooting

KJ Simpson is an electric guard out of Colorado who can do a little bit of everything. He can shoot threes (43.4 percent), score from the mid-range, finish at the rim, be a playmaker for others and also rebound and defend a little bit. He showed this by stuffing the stat sheet last season, averaging 19.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting very efficiently (49.7 percent from the field and 43.4 percent from three).

The downside with Simpson is that he is a smaller guard at just 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, but he has long arms and quickness that the Milwaukee Bucks could definitely use off the bench. Simpson has nice potential on both ends while also having a fairly safe floor, so if the Bucks are looking for a backup guard, he would be the best-case scenario if he is available.