The Milwaukee Bucks made a pair of selections in the 2017 NBA Draft, taking D.J. Wilson in the first round and Sterling Brown in the second round. How should the Bucks be graded on their draft night?
The Milwaukee Bucks are on the brink of something great. With a true budding superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo and a handful of quality complementary pieces, this team has the outline of a contender. With the right moves over the next few seasons, the Bucks can reasonably contend for a trip to the NBA Finals.
To do so, they need to capitalize on their opportunities along the way, and the 2017 NBA Draft was one such opportunity. If they continue to follow their trajectory upwards, the 17th pick may be the lowest draft selection they make in a while.
They entered the draft only a week removed from uncertainty in their front office. General manager John Hammond left for the same role in Orlando, and the Bucks chose not to hand the job to GM-in-waiting Justin Zanik, but instead elevated 33-year-old Jon Horst to the role.
In his first draft as general manager, Horst was out to not only improve his team but also show ownership and a skeptical basketball community that he was up to the task.
With the draft in the books and the Bucks’ new young players looking up apartment listings in Milwaukee, we can make knee-jerk reactions to how they used their resources. Did they pick the right players to help them move up in the Eastern Conference hierarchy? Or will they look back and wish they had gone another route?