What exactly are the long-term prospects for the Milwaukee Bucks?
The Milwaukee Bucks’ championship window is closing; are they set up for a long period of failure thereafter?
The Milwaukee Bucks selected National Basketball League guard AJ Johnson and G League Ignite forward Tyler Smith with the No. 23 and No. 33 picks in the NBA draft.
While the Bucks are intrigued by Johnson’s and Smith’s potential upside, both general manager Jon Horst and assistant general manager Milt Newton cautioned against high expectations in their rookie years.
“Two 19-year-olds, we don’t think – we could be surprised- that they will be rotational players right now in the near future,” Newton said.
If both picks hit, though, they could join an impressive cadre of NBA players drafted at No. 23 and No. 33.
The Los Angeles Lakers selected one of their franchise pillars with the 23rd pick, while one of the best players in the current NBA went with the 33rd pick.
Just a year ago, the Portland Trailblazers drafted Iowa forward Kris Murray at the same spot as AJ Johnson. Murray is the twin brother of Keegan, whom the Sacramento Kings selected with the fourth pick in 2022. Both brothers went to Iowa.
Kris Murray started 29 of 62 games with the Blazers. He averaged 6.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
As a full-time starter his last year in college, he put up 20.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals.
Kris doesn’t have the sharpshooting skills his brother possesses, which is why he slipped in the draft. The 6-foot-8 forward shot just 33% from long range on 6.8 attempts at Iowa. Those numbers dropped to 26.8% on three attempts as a Blazer.
Anunoby recently made headlines after he signed a five-year, $212.5 million deal with the New York Knicks. The Toronto Raptors drafted the 6-foot-7 British forward out of Indiana in 2017. Two years later, he helped the Raptors secure their first NBA championship.
Right before the new year, the flailing Raptors kickstarted their rebuild and dealt Anunoby to the Knicks. He averaged 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals, boosting New York to a 12-2 record in his first 14 games.
In the 2022-23 season, Anunoby made the All-Defense second team and led the league in steals.
Hardened Bucks fans may remember Montenegrin Nikola Mirotic. On draft day in 2011, the Houston Rockets dealt the Real Madrid forward to the Chicago Bulls, where he spent most of his career. Mirotic didn’t debut for the Bulls until 2014.
Mirotic finished second in the 2014 rookie of the year voting, which went to Andrew Wiggins. He was also a distant threat for the sixth man of the year award.
Mirotic was a key player for the Bulls, particularly in the 2017-18 season as he came off the bench with 16.8 points and 6.4 rebounds and shot 42.9% from three-point range on 6.4 attempts. Chicago traded him to New Orleans that season, and the next year he signed with Milwaukee.
He spent his final year in the NBA with the Bucks and played all but one game in the 2019 playoffs.
Mirotic is now back overseas with Milan. The 33-year-old forward is a hot free agent target after recording 16.9 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Most NBA teams aren’t expecting to land a franchise superstar with the 23rd pick; the goal is to come away with a rotational player.
Chandler fits that description. The Knicks drafted the DePaul forward in 2007, though they dealt him to Denver a few years later as a part of the Carmelo Anthony trade.
Chandler spent most of his 12-year career with the Nuggets. He averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in the league, but he got up to 16.4 points during his last season in New York.
Chandler also played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets.
Arguably the best No. 23 pick of all time.
The Lakers extended their dominant run when they drafted the Oregon State forward in 1985.
A defensive stalwart, Green earned the nickname “Iron Man” for his availability. He played all 82 games on 14 occasions, including one season in which he played in 83. He also started every game in a season three times.
The three-time NBA champion earned one all-star selection and one All-Defense second-team selection. Green played for 16 years, averaging 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds and shooting 49.4% from the floor.
Divisions don’t matter in the NBA as much as they do in MLB or the NFL. However, for 10 years, Prince and the Detroit Pistons conquered the Central Division, including the Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Bulls.
The Pistons selected the left-handed, 6-foot-9 forward from Kentucky in 2002.
Prince, like Green, was another iron man, playing in all 82 games seven times. In his prime, he was a defensive hound, making four straight All-Defense second teams from 2005-08. He also finished third in most improved player voting in 2005 behind Dwayne Wade and the winner, Bobby Simmons.
Across his 14-year career, Prince logged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He shot 45.5% from the floor and 36.7% from long distance. He also played with the Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves.
This year is not the first time Milwaukee landed at No. 23 in the draft. In 1992, the Bucks selected Arkansas guard Mayberry.
Mayberry played four years with the Bucks, then had a three-year stint with the Vancouver Grizzlies. He averaged 5.1 points, 3.6 assists and 1.0 rebounds.
This year, the Bucks selected Tyler Smith, a forward from the G League Ignite.
Last year, the Timberwolves selected Miller, a forward from the G League Ignite.
Funny how that works.
Bucks fans curious about how the team plans to develop Smith should pay attention to Miller. Both players are of similar size, about 6-foot-10, though Miller is a little lighter at 210 pounds.
Miller was more productive than Smith with the Ignite, averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds on 55.4% shooting. He played in 17 games with the Timberwolves but was sent back to their G League, the Iowa Wolves.
Miller clearly improved with Iowa, averaging 20.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He also expanded his three-point range, shooting 5.6 threes per game and making 37.8%.
As the Timberwolves’ payroll explodes with the contracts of Anthony Edwards, Karl Anthony-Towns and Rudy Gobert, Miller may be a cost-effective rotational player soon. Bucks fans can hope for a similar result for Smith.
In just a couple seasons, Brunson skyrocketed from the best No. 33 selection in league history to a defining guard of the modern era. He’s the leader of the “Nova Knicks,” a nickname referring to New York’s glut of Villanova University players (Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, Mikal Bridges).
In 2018, the Dallas Mavericks selected the two-time national champion and developed him into the perfect running mate for Luka Doncic. Dallas fumbled contract extension talks with Brunson, allowing him to walk to New York in 2022.
Last season, Brunson made the All-NBA second team, finished fifth in most valuable player voting and achieved his first all-star selection. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds.
With an injured Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson in the playoffs, Brunson kicked into another gear. In 13 total games against the 76ers and Pacers, he improved to 32.4 points, 7.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds.
In 2014, the Cleveland Cavaliers stumbled upon one of the best shooters in the modern NBA in the second round of the draft.
Following two seasons of 9.7 minutes and 3.0 minutes per game, the Cavs let him walk.
The Brooklyn Nets picked up Harris and soon learned how accurate the Virginia guard really was.
Harris led the league in three-point percentage in 2018-19 (47.4%, 5.1 attempts) and 2020-21 (47.5%, 6.4 attempts).
They are completely different players and types of shooters, but for reference, Stephen Curry maxed out at 45.5% from deep in his career.
For his career, Harris averages 43.6% from three-point range on 4.7 attempts. He last played with Detroit in 2023-24.
The Sacramento Kings drafted center Hassan Whiteside due to his gaudy college stats at Marshall. Whiteside grabbed 8.9 rebounds per game and blocked 5.4 shots.
Although the Kings selected Whiteside in 2010, he struggled to find his way onto an NBA floor. After four years of bouncing between the Kings, the D League (which turned into the G League) and overseas play, Whiteside landed with the Miami Heat.
He took off with the Heat in their post-LeBron James malaise. He finished fourth in most improved player voting in 2014-15, then made the All-Defense second team the next season. Whiteside also finished third in defensive player of the year voting as he led the league with 3.7 blocks.
In 2016-17, Whiteside placed fifth in defensive player of the year voting as he led the league with 14.1 rebounds and added 2.1 blocks.
