Milwaukee Bucks: 5 realistic targets with the No. 31 pick

Milwaukee Bucks: 5 realistic targets with the No. 31 pick – Jaden Springer

The Milwaukee Bucks should have an eye on freshman Jaden Springer from Tennessee on draft night. As a 6’4″ point guard that’s only 18 years old, the young prospect seems to have many mixed reactions about him from around the league.

Some see him as a future starting NBA point guard with exciting potential worth around a mid-first round pick and some out there don’t believe the hype. It’s tough to tell since he’s one of the youngest in the draft, but you can envision how effective he could be at the professional level with glimpses of accountable perimeter defense, crafty finishing around the rim, and sharp handles throughout productive showings during high school and college.

Springer averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 46.7 shooting and 43.5 percent from 3-point range on little volume throughout his one year at Tennessee. He’s a gifted defender with respected strength, instincts, and shiftiness on one end and a likeable facilitator or maneuverer with the ball in his hands to create opportunities on the other.

Expanding his shooting range will need to be developed, but there’s plenty of time considering his age. Still, it’s impressive how comfortable and poised of a contributor he’s shown at just 18 years old, and it should translate to the NBA.

Jaden Springer would be an ideal fit for the Milwaukee Bucks talent-wise and position-wise, but maybe not timeline-wise. It also seems unlikely that Springer will drop out of the first-round given his upside, but if he does, the Bucks could pounce on the option to draft a backup point guard that could at least fight for playing time right away and become an essential piece toward the future.