Pre-Draft Outlook
Where does a team go after “bust?” This was, after all, a championship-or-bust season based on Milwaukee’s trade for Damian Lillard in September and verified when it fired coach Adrian Griffin at midseason and brought in Doc Rivers. Alas, the Bucks were worse than before Lillard’s arrival and they got worse again from Griffin’s 30-13 start to Rivers’ 17-19 finish. Injuries hurt in the regular season, then – with Giannis Antetokounmpo missing the first round vs. Indiana entirely and Lillard held out of Games 4 and 5 – washed them out of the playoffs completely, three rounds short of what could have qualified as success.
The Way To Go
Milwaukee needs a lot more help than the Nos. 23 and 33 picks can reasonably provide. Its defense at the one, two and three positions is inadequate, the roster lacks depth and athletic ability and some of the young guys on the bench have played enough to disappoint rather than encourage. Still, you patch holes however you can. If the Bucks were to trade center Brook Lopez or power forward Bobby Portis – or even just seek a backup – one possibility in the Draft with size is Yves Missi, the big man from Baylor. Help on the wing could come in the form of Pacome Dadiet, an 18-year-old Frenchman who played most recently in Germany.
— Steve Aschburner
Here’s a quick look at Milwaukee’s current roster entering the Draft:
Under Contract
G: Pat Connaughton
G: AJ Green
G: Andre Jackson Jr.
G: Damian Lillard
G: Ryan Rollins
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo
F: MarJon Beauchamp
F: Jaylin Galloway
F: Chris Livingston
F: Khris Middleton
F: Bobby Portis
C: Brook Lopez
Free Agents
G: Patrick Beverley
G: Malik Beasley
G: TyTy Washington Jr.
F: Thanasis Antetokounmpo
F: Jae Crowder
F: Danilo Gallinari
> 2024 Free Agent Tracker