The NBA Draft is coming up on October 16, which means The Game Haus will be doing draft profiles for each NBA team. Each day, a new team will be analyzed for their past season, their team needs and projected targets. Today, the Milwaukee Bucks will be evaluated.
Summary
The Milwaukee Bucks nearly went wire-to-wire as the best team in the Eastern Conference. They were even the first team to clinch a spot in the playoffs, grabbing it before the NBA shut down in March due to COVID-19.
Regardless, when the NBA restarted the Bucks earned the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. In the midst of their first playoff series, a Black man was killed by the Kenosha, Wisconsin police which caused the Bucks, then the rest of the NBA to boycott two days’ worth of playoff games.
When the games restarted, the Bucks took care of the Magic, then moved on to their series with the Miami Heat. Shockingly, the Heat defeated the number one seed in five games even though the Bucks were heavily favored.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said he does not plan on leaving Milwaukee. His deal ends after next year, and it is expected the Bucks will offer him up to a $250 million supermax contract, locking him up for five years. In the 2020 draft, the team needs to find ways to build around him to secure an NBA Finals win before they have to pay him.
Picks
The Milwaukee Bucks have one pick in the 2020 NBA Draft
First Round: Pick No. 24
Team Needs
Three-point shooting- The Bucks are near the top in almost every single category, but their three-point shooting percentage is lacking. Their 35.5 percent shooting percentage from deep puts them in the bottom half of the NBA. They may need another dead-eye shooter to get to the NBA Finals.
Ball control– Ranking 21st in turnovers per game does not seem too bad when factoring in how dominant the Bucks were for most of the season. But if they can cut down on those turnovers and turn them into even more points, they may be near unstoppable. Especially with their excellent defense.
Projected Targets
Round 1, Pick No. 24: Nico Mannion, PG (Arizona)
Nico Mannion is a point guard with combo potential out of Arizona. His perimeter shooting is already great and he passes well, averaging 5.3 assists last year. He protects the ball and would fit an offense looking to space things out, like Milwaukee should.
Mannion is the passer and shooter the Bucks may need. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
Signing a good passer that can sit at the top of the key and knock down threes can free up the lane for Giannis, who is most powerful as he charges into the paint. After trading Malcolm Brogdon, who is a dead-eye from three, their shooting percentage dipped. Mannion is going to need minutes to reach that level, but he could also add another layer with his passing.
The biggest hole in his game is his defense, but the Bucks defense is already top-tier. He will need to be coached up in Milwaukee’s brand of defense, but his three-pointer game and passing would be hard to pass up.
Featured image courtesy of Milwaukee Bucks
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