4 Times the Milwaukee Bucks nailed their late NBA Draft picks

Ersan Ilyasova

In 2005, the Milwaukee Bucks received the top overall pick for the fourth time in their history. They used it to select Andrew Bogut, who joined the team with high expectations.

On the other hand, pick number 36 Ersan Ilyasova was sent to the D-League, currently known as the G-League, that season. He only played for Milwaukee in 2006-07 due to an injury plague and then played for FC Barcelona from 2007 to 2009. Who would have thought that was the beginning of a memorable run as a Bucks player?

Ilyasove came back from Spain way more mature as a player, and he was never flashy but was always solid and impactful. He was a low-volume but high-efficiency shooter, a great rebounder for his size and showed a good IQ that compensated for his lack of athleticism.

He was a master at taking charges and became one of the most annoying offensive rebounders despite not being all that tall. All of that was thanks to his good spatial awareness and his willingness to give his all.

His growth was so noticeable that he even ended up second in the 2012 Most Improved Player award voting, only a few votes short of winner Ryan Anderson. With averages of 10.7 points and six boards, while shooting 37 percent from three, he was an important role player through his first six seasons with the team. Yet, that came to an end when he was traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2015.

However, that wasn't the end of his time with the Bucks. In 2018 free agency, he signed again and was added to a renewed roster. Under Mike Budenholzer's coaching, he had a lesser role but was still helpful, providing some spacing that the team used to become the best in the league for two consecutive regular seasons.

That success still needed an extra year to translate into the playoffs, though, so he left before he could get a well-earned ring. That still doesn't prevent him from being one of the best late draft picks the Milwaukee Bucks have ever made.