Milwaukee Bucks: 5 reasons to be optimistic after 2016-17 season
More draft day steals
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best player from the 2013 NBA Draft, and the Milwaukee front office snagged him at pick No. 15. While not to the same degree, they seem to have pulled off more draft day robbery this season as well.
Thon Maker was one of the more controversial picks of the 2016 NBA Draft. Bypassing college due to a loophole in the “one-and-done” system, Maker entered the draft as a relative unknown. Some scouts lauded him as an elite talent, others as a rail-thin mystery player with no role and a supposed age that could not be proven.
Malcolm Brogdon was a routine second round pick, an intelligent four-year college player with the tools and college production to suggest he may stick on an NBA roster as a defensively oriented fifth guard, the guy coaches bring in for the last possession of a quarter. But already 23 on draft night, his upside was limited.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
Both rookies, the too-young center and the too-old point guard, started for Milwaukee throughout their playoff series with the Raptors. Brogdon emerged as a solid option at the point, draining three-pointers all season long at a 40 percent clip and providing stellar defense at the point of attack. He and offseason acquisition Tony Snell formed a formidable duo defending opposing backcourts.
Maker is still brimming with potential, with a number of skills yet to be fully realized. But in his undeveloped frame and with untapped skills he was still dynamic down the stretch for the Bucks, growing game-by-game into a stretch-5 who could guard in space and protect the rim. Jonas Valanciunas could not back him down in the post; so much for a fragile frame.
Brogdon could very well win Rookie of the Year this season based on his solid play for a successful team. His upside is limited, but he has shone it was much higher than expected. For Maker, the sky is the limit, and it is possible the Bucks have another star on their hands.