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Milwaukee Bucks: First Pre-Draft Workout

By Peter Myhrer

Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; A general view as the names of the first round draft picks are displayed above the stage during the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; A general view as the names of the first round draft picks are displayed above the stage during the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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While other teams around the league have been bringing in prospects for workouts since the NBA Combine finished, the Milwaukee Bucks waited until June 10 to hold their first pre-draft workout.

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The list of prospects the Bucks chose to bring in on Wednesday raised some eyebrows though.

If you haven’t heard of any of these players, don’t panic. Only Nedim Buza (56) and Lucas Dias (73) are even in DraftExpress’ Top 100 Prospects.

Buza is a 6’8″ small forward out of Bosnia. The 20-year-old participated in April’s 2015 Nike Hoop Summit, scoring six points in 12 minutes and knocking down both of his 3-point attempts. Because of his sharpshooting and athleticism, Buza is expected to be a late 2nd round pick.

Lucas Dias is an interesting prospect in his own right though, despite his lower ranking in DraftExpress’ Top 100. The 6’10 tweener out of Brazil has the length and silky smooth outside shot to be a solid stretch four in the NBA. He didn’t test out very well in terms of athleticism at Eurocamp this year with only a 27″ max vertical, but he appears to have enough functional athleticism on tape to be successful in games. The 19-year-old is not projected to be drafted by most, but he could definitely improve his stock in pre-draft workouts and have a team spend a 2nd round pick on him.

Out of the remaining prospects brought in, one guy in particular catches my eye as someone who could make an improbable road to the NBA. Despite not even having a profile on DraftExpress, Alex Marzette of Robert Morris has the skills necessary to be a solid role player off a team’s bench.

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Marzette is a 6’5″ guard out of Racine, Wisconsin that played for Southern Indiana before transferring to Robert Morris University of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). He averaged 18.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game for the Robert Morris Eagles. His incredible athleticism and efficient 3-point shot made him stand out against inferior competition. Never playing against legitimate competition will keep him from being drafted, but if he can make a team’s summer league team and be patient with some seasons in the D-League, Marzette could find himself providing defense and 3-point shooting for an NBA team someday.

Wednesday’s workout is just the tip of the iceberg for Bucks workouts in the upcoming weeks. According to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, the Bucks will bring in power forward Bobby Portis, point guard Cameron Payne, small forward Justin Anderson, power forward Kevon Looney, combo guard Jerian Grant, and shooting guard R.J. Hunter prior to the draft for workouts.

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