Milwaukee Bucks: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history

8. Junior Bridgeman (SG) – No. 8 pick in 1975 NBA Draft

Career stats (with the Bucks):  711 GP, 13.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 1.8 TOV, 47.8 FG%, 84.0 FT%

If Paul Pressey was a precursor to a generation of point forwards, then Bridgeman did the same for sixth men. In 10 seasons with the Bucks he played 711 games, still a Milwaukee record – and started just 19.

To suggest that his impact was muted by coming off the bench would miss the contributions Bridgeman made to the franchise. His jersey hangs from the rafters of the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Although rarely starting, Bridgeman played in nearly every game and never averaged fewer than 20 minutes per game during his first stint with the team.

Bridgeman was one of the key pieces in the trade for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar that sent one of the greatest players in NBA history to Los Angeles. He played 10 seasons in all for the Bucks, returning for his final year to retire with the franchise where he made a name for himself.

The 2-guard’s best feature was his scoring, as he averaged double-digit points per game for eight straight seasons, including 16.8 PPG in 1981 — a year in which he never started a single game. Junior Bridgeman was a quintessential sixth man in a time when the league wasn’t sure what that was. Luckily for Bridgeman and Milwaukee, the Bucks figured that out.