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Milwaukee Bucks 2015 Mock Draft: 1st and 2nd Round Predictions

By Peter Myhrer

Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Jabari Parker (Duke) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number two overall pick to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Jabari Parker (Duke) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number two overall pick to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 19, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats forward Shaquille Thomas (3) shoots the ball against Purdue Boilermakers center A.J. Hammons (20) during the first half in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats forward Shaquille Thomas (3) shoots the ball against Purdue Boilermakers center A.J. Hammons (20) during the first half in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Round 2 Pick 45: A.J. Hammons – Purdue, C, 7’0″

There are three can’t-miss prospects at the center position in this draft: Kentucky’s got two in Karl-Anthony Towns and Willy Cauley-Stein and Duke’s got one in Jahlil Okafor. Towns is a top prospect because of his two-way game, Willy Cauley-Stein is because of his defense, and Jahlil Okafor is because of his offense.

These three will be long gone by the time the Bucks’ first round pick happens though, begging the questionL can the Bucks find a center in the 2015 Draft?

After not liking their odds to do so in the first round, I decided to search for a diamond in the rough in the second round. This hunt ended up with myself selecting a name that should be familiar to dual fans of the Bucks and Badgers.

The man I have the Bucks picking is Purdue’s Junior center A.J. Hammons.

The Bucks need a big, bulky presence on the inside. They’ve valued rim protection from the center position in recent years with Larry Sanders and John Henson, but it’s come with the trade-off of poor strength inside.

A.J. Hammons can can give the Bucks both of these things. The 278 pound center rejects 4.6 shots per 40 minutes and uses his strength to pull down 10.8 rebounds per 40.

However, he has a bit of a reputation for not always giving 100 percent effort and well this happened…

But centers in the second round aren’t going to be pretty and wrapped up in a bow for a GM to unwrap. They all have their warts.

What separates Hammons from others is that his warts are fixable or at least cover-upable. He has the size needed to be an effective center in the NBA. That’s something you can’t teach. Boxing out your man and getting in a strong defensive stance are teachable, and seem like something head coach Jason Kidd should be able to relay to him.

He’s shown some promise in the post on offense and will always be able to rely on dunks and tip-ins for easy points. He shows off some nice touch around the rim in the video below.

Next: The 2015-2016 Roster

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