Milwaukee Bucks: 5 players to watch in 2018 NCAA Tournament
The Milwaukee Bucks have found success by drafting players who performed well in the NCAA Tournament. What players suiting up for March Madness should they keep an eye on?
The Milwaukee Bucks have plucked a number of players in the draft in recent years that played under the biggest lights. From D.J. Wilson and Sterling Brown last season to Jabari Parker and John Henson further back, the Bucks are not strangers to evaluating talent in the NCAA Tournament.
As March Madness edges closer to tip-off on Thursday, Milwaukee will be gathering its scouting department and deploying them to various tournament sites in order to evaluate talent. Body of work is important — a few hot or cold games should not cancel a season of performances — but there is something uniquely valuable about how a player performs under the greatest pressure.
As reflected in the current standings, the Bucks would not own their first round pick, but instead would send it to the Phoenix Suns. A unique set of protections were placed on their pick in the Eric Bledsoe trade, and if Milwaukee ends up with a pick between 11 and 16 they will lose it. Otherwise they make a pick this season and their debt to the Suns rolls on to next year.
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With just a couple of games separating the Bucks from the third-place Indiana Pacers their spot is far from certain, and thus have to prepare as if they will have their own first round pick. That means scouting those players who could potentially be available in the back half of the first round and worthy of being taken in that range.
First we’ll pour one out for the UCLA Bruins, led by junior guard Aaron Holiday, who was in line to make this piece before the Bruins lost in the First Four to St. Bonaventure. His long wingspan and instant-offense abilities would make him a perfect fit off the bench to help jumpstart reserve units offensively.
Our gaze turns now to Thursday and Friday, the two greatest sports days of the year. With wall-to-wall games and draft prospects galore, who should the Bucks keep an eye on? Here are four standout players just waiting to show their worth on the big stage. We begin in Detroit with one of the biggest men in the field.