2024 NBA Draft Thread - June 26/27

[bucksfansince88]

Tyler Smith is the big we need now and in the future

[MiltownMadness]

At some point we need to accept we don’t have guys on this roster that can defend or lock down guys in the playoffs. For a late first, get the elite defender to add and figure out how he works on offense later. I saw enough with AJJ to know there is a way to get him on the court as a net positive.

Helped a lot that AJJ also actually shot 37% from three last year, unexpectedly. Of course he also came in as a significantly better shooter than Dunn, even if it wasn't his forte. Any of these guys are going to have question marks, though. If Dunn were a 75% FT shooter he'd be a lottery pick.

2.9 attempts per36 minutes. Let’s not kid ourselves.

And I LOVE AJJ BUT Dunn is a better defender. Like you said if he could shoot he’d be a lottery pick, lets roll the dice, solve our biggest need and see what happens

AJJ came in as an awful shooter but actually destroys Dunn in every shooting metric to put it into perspective. Dunn shooting is prob irredeemable because he is so far behind development at an NBA level. My draft knowledge is loose at best but it seems like you are drafting a worse shooting MKG here which to me is a bad pick

[emunney]

Baskonia need this guy

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[JayMKE]

Good stuff about Dunn, his defense is definitely intriguing. I can buy a defensive specialist figuring out how to shoot open shots from deep a lot sooner than someone undersized or not athletic enough becoming a plus defender. Not going to be any prospects at our spot that comes without warts especially in a supposedly weaker draft so I’d go with a guy that projects to be elite at something.

[ShootingtheJ]

Tyler Smith is the big we need now and in the future

He's not big. Shorter standing reach than Marjon, and he's plays soft, doesn't rebound.

[ShootingtheJ]

DaRon Holmes is still our guy. It's incredibly rare to be able to draft a guy who had a 31.7 PER who's a good defender and floor stretcher at the end of round 1. Those guys go in the lottery. Holmes defensive stats on switches are outstanding.

Holmes is the modern big we've needed to unlock Giannis and make us built for the playoffs, instead of the regular season team we've been.

[Badgerlander]

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[bdpecore]

Not tgat I’m looking to emulate Dallas but how many non-shooters did they surround Luka with? Luka’s best game he tore up the paint and went 0-8 from 3. We happen to have two pretty good volume shooters in Dame and Khris. Dunn is a freak athlete, sets good screens, and can attack closeouts.

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Dunn is a good enough defensive prospect that I'm willing to give it a shot, but I feel like we've heard the same thing about "he makes up for his horrific shooting by being a good cutter" about a million prospects and they basically all turn out to be zeroes/negatives offensively. AJJ was one of those guys too with the only bonus being that he showed some nice passing ability on the ball at UConn. Then he got to Milwaukee and was almost exclusively relegated to the PJ Tucker role offensively.

Even if we assume Dunn ends up being the most prolific cutter in the NBA for a non-center, you're talking about 1-2 FGA per game doing that. His ability to attack closeouts will be wasted if defenses don't bother closing out on him in the first place and there's no real indication that he'll ever be more than a dreadful shooter. Miracles happen with guys learning how to shoot sometimes, but the fact that his mechanics are okay (though I do think his lower body could use some significant work) and he's still a pathetic shooter both from distance and the free throw line makes it really hard to believe he'll be the outlier.

He'll likely need to be an All-Defense guy to have any chance of being more than an end of bench guy in the NBA and fortunately for him, he does have the potential to be that level of defender.

This is why I've been gravitating more towards players like McCullar and Shannon. They are solid defenders who provide enough offensively to keep their defender honest. We don't need to be swinging for the fences with our draft picks, just identify players whose skillsets compliment our big three.

[ReasonablySober]

Updated ESPN Mock.

23. Milwaukee Bucks (via Pelicans)
Kel'el Ware, C, Indiana | Age: 20.1

Ware was viewed to be building solid momentum in the pre-draft process but wasn't among the 21 players voted by teams into the draft green room, something that could still change once the final wave of invites is released later this week.

He has casted a wide net in workouts thus far, conducting more than a dozen to this point with teams ranging from the late lottery to the end of the first round. Milwaukee, a team he visited, has a clear need at center, with Brook Lopez, 36, entering the final season of his contract, and Bobby Portis able to opt out next summer.

Ware's ability to both pop or roll gives him coveted flexibility he can tap into, along with his solid rebounding and shot-blocking prowess. At 7-1, talent is certainly not a question mark for the 20-year-old, making him a solid value play for any of the teams picking in this range. -- Givony

33. Milwaukee Bucks (via Trail Blazers)
Tyler Smith, SF/PF, G League Ignite | Age: 19.6

Seems like a best case scenario TBH.

[Ron Swanson]

Not a huge fan of using our first on him, but getting Tyler Smith in the 2nd round would be pretty great value. If he hits, he's a Rashard Lewis clone.

[bucksfansince88]

Baskonia need this guy

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Beautiful game! So skilled and fluid

[machu46]

Updated ESPN Mock.

23. Milwaukee Bucks (via Pelicans)
Kel'el Ware, C, Indiana | Age: 20.1

Ware was viewed to be building solid momentum in the pre-draft process but wasn't among the 21 players voted by teams into the draft green room, something that could still change once the final wave of invites is released later this week.

He has casted a wide net in workouts thus far, conducting more than a dozen to this point with teams ranging from the late lottery to the end of the first round. Milwaukee, a team he visited, has a clear need at center, with Brook Lopez, 36, entering the final season of his contract, and Bobby Portis able to opt out next summer.

Ware's ability to both pop or roll gives him coveted flexibility he can tap into, along with his solid rebounding and shot-blocking prowess. At 7-1, talent is certainly not a question mark for the 20-year-old, making him a solid value play for any of the teams picking in this range. -- Givony

33. Milwaukee Bucks (via Trail Blazers)
Tyler Smith, SF/PF, G League Ignite | Age: 19.6

Seems like a best case scenario TBH.

Yeah, I can't really imagine a better outcome from 23 and 33. Smith wouldn't be my first choice at #33 in this mock but I'd be pretty happy with it regardless.

[German Athens]

I think Oso and Smith are both cases of shorting their standing reach number to boost their vertical. I’d expect their actual standing reach numbers to be about 8’11” or so.

[James1980]

Bronny will only play for Lakers and Lakers want Bronny, so shouldnt another team fleece the Lakers in a trade, say we're taking him here unless Lakers move up?

[ShootingtheJ]

I think Oso and Smith are both cases of shorting their standing reach number to boost their vertical. I’d expect their actual standing reach numbers to be about 8’11” or so.

Smith having limited length would explain why he's sick a terrible rebounder. It's either that, or he's soft.

Either way, after watching full games of Smith in the G League, he's not a draftable prospect to me. Way better players available at #33.

It's funny to see people who want to dump Marjon for a top 55 protected pick then want to draft a player not nearly as productive as Marjon was in the exact same environment.

[fansinceforever]

DaRon Holmes is still our guy. It's incredibly rare to be able to draft a guy who had a 31.7 PER who's a good defender and floor stretcher at the end of round 1. Those guys go in the lottery. Holmes defensive stats on switches are outstanding.

Holmes is the modern big we've needed to unlock Giannis and make us built for the playoffs, instead of the regular season team we've been.

And he's only 21.. Why will he be available at that spot?

[emunney]

Bronny will only play for Lakers and Lakers want Bronny, so shouldnt another team fleece the Lakers in a trade, say we're taking him here unless Lakers move up?

Think you have to be careful with this type of play, particularly with Rich Paul. He's not afraid to pull every lever. Only draft Bronny if you've got a plan for him as a player, nobody's going to like a cynical pick to extort the Lakers and Bronny has the resources to sit out a year without a contract and nullify your draft rights.

[Ron Swanson]

Count me as a skeptic over Ware having actual "unicorn" potential based on some really small sample 3PT shooting (42 attempts). He was a 66% guy from the line in college (63% this season) and I tend to put more stock into that as a measure of how your shooting will translate (Myles Turner shot 84%, Brook shot 76%, Naz Reid shot 73%, etc.). So really, it comes down to who I like more between Ware and Missi when it comes to who I trust can do "big man stuff" better. Ware can theoretically do more on offense, but man, Missi is such a demon as a play finisher and roll-man, and I certainly trust his motor and energy/mental makeup more.

[ReasonablySober]

Count me as a skeptic over Ware having actual "unicorn" potential based on some really small sample 3PT shooting (42 attempts). He was a 66% guy from the line in college (63% this season) and I tend to put more stock into that as a measure of how your shooting will translate (Myles Turner shot 84%, Brook shot 76%, Naz Reid shot 73%, etc.). So really, it comes down to who I like more between Ware and Missi when it comes to who I trust can do "big man stuff" better. Ware can theoretically do more on offense, but man, Missi is such a demon as a play finisher and roll-man, and I certainly trust his motor and energy/mental makeup more.

In the ESPN mock you could just double down. Take Ware at #23 and Bona at #33.

[EasyE31]

I think I'm pretty much down to Ware, Shannon, and Dunn at 23.

Shannon may be my favorite target as I think 2 guard is maybe our biggest immediate need. He could step in and provide some much needed athleticism there. He gets downhill SO fast in transition - which we really don't have on our roster outside Giannis. He's not Dunn on defense but I think he's serviceable. Certainly not a turnstile on that end.