Pre-Draft Workouts to Begin on TuesdayThe NBA draft lottery will take place Tuesday night in beautiful Secaucus, New Jersey, but there will be no drama for the Bucks: they'll be picking smack-dab in the middle of the first round (15th) n...
Pre-Draft Workouts to Begin on TuesdayThe NBA draft lottery will take place Tuesday night in beautiful Secaucus, New Jersey, but there will be no drama for the Bucks: they'll be picking smack-dab in the middle of the first round (15th) no matter what.
Note: this is the part of the story where you let out an audible sigh.
Not that it's a great year to be bad either. Everyone and their mother seems to agree that the top of this year's draft is as weak as any in recent memory, which is why you won't hear the phrase "Nerlens Noel Sweepstakes" anytime soon. But quality players will no doubt emerge from this year's crop, and this is the part where you cross your fingers that the Bucks manage to find one from their perch in the middle of the first.
So who is in the Bucks' wheelhouse? "Guards" would be an obvious answer, though expect to hear the usual chorus of "best player available" talk over the next few weeks, starting with Tuesday's session at the Cousins Center. As usual, the Bucks won't officially announce who is showing up until the morning of the workout, but Gery Woelfel tweets that first round prospect Glen Rice Jr. (SF/SG, D-League), James Southerland (Syracuse, SF) and Will Clyburn (Iowa State, SF/PF) will be among the guys in town.
Let's do a quick review of the guys who have been rumored to have workouts planned in Milwaukee:
Dennis Schröder, PG, GermanyThe 19-year-old German impressed at the recent Nike Hoops Summit and has been compared to a lesser Rajon Rondo for his quickness, defense and playmaking; it's unclear if he's in Rondo's ballpark when it comes to general weirdness but being German will presumably help on that front. Charles Gardner writes that Schröder plans to work out for the Bucks (around June 1) in addition to the Rockets and Jazz. But expect that list to grow plenty. A potential Brandon Jennings replacement, or a potential Brandon Jennings backup? Choose your own adventure, friends.
Michael Carter-Williams, PG/SG, SyracuseMCW is one of the draft's more polarizing figures: his tremendous size, athleticism and playmaking abilities give him top five potential, but his inability to score and general inconsistency could allow him to slip into the Bucks' range.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, GeorgiaA breakout sophomore campaign helped Caldwell-Pope establish himself as one of the draft's best perimeter shooters and scorers, though his perceived lack of handle/driving game has kept him out of most lottery projections thus far. Still, he's a unique talent in that he can shoot and make plays defensively (7.1 rpg, 2.0 spg), two things the Bucks could use in a young shooting guard.
Jamaal Franklin, SG/SF, San Diego StateFranklin's scoring inefficiency scares me (40.4% shooting at 27.9% from deep...basically Monta Ellis numbers), but his athleticism and versatility on both ends are difficult to deny. Boasting an exceptional 6'11.25" wingspan, the 6'5" wing led SDSU in scoring, rebounding (9.4!), assists (3.3) and steals (1.6). He's certainly flawed as a scorer, but I'm still interested.
Glen Rice Jr., SF/SG, D-League Rio Grande Vipers / Georgia TechAs Dan previously wrote, Rice is one of the most intriguing players in the draft--for better or worse. He interviewed with the Bucks in Chicago and Gery Woelfel writes that he's also expecting to be in town for a workout. Rice can shoot (thanks Dad!), jump (40.5" max vert) and annihilated the D-League late last season in leading Rio Grande to the title, so there's reason to believe he can come in and contribute now and in the future. But the mere fact that he needed a D-League detour to begin with is a major cause for concern, as he was kicked off the Georgia Tech team and enters the draft as a slightly older prospect (22).
Gorgui Dieng, PF/C, LousivilleDieng actually reminds me a bit of Ekpe Udoh in that both entered the draft as 23-year-old defensive big men who also flashed some abilities from the mid-post. That means he'd also be a rather