NBA mock draft roundup: Lots of options for Bucks
With the 2017 NBA Draft now almost upon us, things aren't getting much clearer as to whom the Milwaukee Bucks might select with the No. 17 overall pick.
At least as far as mock drafts are concerned.
Analysts can't even agree what position Milwaukee will target, forget about coming to a consensus on a player.
Duke big man Harry Giles is gaining some steam among mock-ers, but so is guard Terrance Ferguson, who played in Australia last year.
Or might Milwaukee's pick be another player, such Kentucky forward Bam Adebayo, Texas center Jarrett Allen, UCLA center Ike Anigbogu or Creighton center Justin Patton? All of those players -- and more -- have been mocked to the Bucks.
Whew. At least we'll find out soon enough.
And, of course, this is your reminder that in our final mock draft roundup last year the number of analysts who had Thon Maker to the Bucks was … let's see … oh, yeah, zero.
Below are listed as many mock drafts from around the web we could find, included are the analysis and reasoning for each pick (if given) plus the selection that analyst had last time we did a mock roundup (if they were used).
Without further adieu, here's our final 2017 mock draft roundup (second-round picks listed if applicable). Enjoy the draft!
Andrew Lynch of FOXSports.com (June 21): Harry Giles, F/C, Duke, FR. "With a new general manager and questions about whether they made too hasty a decision now that David Griffin is on the market, the Bucks could look to make a big splash on draft day. Adding Giles, who once projected as a No. 1 overall pick before a knee injury at Duke, would fit the bill. Giles received a relatively clean bill of health this week, and he's an outstanding prospect on both ends of the court if he's truly injury-free." Previously: Jarrett Allen, C, Texas, FR.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Tribune (June 21): -- Jarrett Allen, C, Texas, FR. "Another athlete that can run the floor, as the Bucks continue pushing forward in the East."
Anthony Chiang of the Palm Beach Post (June 21): Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA, FR. "Anigbogu is known for his ability to protect the rim with his 7-foot-6 wingspan. Pair this guy with Giannis Antetokounmpo and you have some serious length on the court."
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (June 21): Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia, INT. "Ferguson has a pretty wide range, having skipped out on college to play in Australia, where teams tracking him had mixed reviews. He is not particularly explosive, but he is an excellent shooter who works well off screens and has a dash of athleticism. Interest ranges as high as the Hornets at No. 11, with the Pistons and Heat also looking at Ferguson in the lottery. With Greg Monroe opting in for next season, the Bucks will forgo bigs. They need shooting and some depth on the wings." Previously: Justin Patton, C, Creighton, FR.
Rod Beard of the Detroit News (June 21): Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia, INT. "With an unexpected jump last season, the Bucks seem to have many of their pieces in place, but will need to build on that success. They’re obviously building around their young core and Ferguson, who skipped college to play in Australia, will complement Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Malcolm Brogdon."
DraftExpress (June 21): Round 1 -- Justin Patton, C, Creighton, FR; Round 2 -- George De Paula, PG, INT. Previously: Round 1 -- Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA, FR; Round 2 -- Monte Morris, SG, Iowa State, SR.
Steve Popper of the Bergen County (N.J.) Record (June 21): Jarrett Allen, C, Texas, FR.
Drafttek.com (June 21): Round 1 -- Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia, INT; Round 2 -- Edmond Sumner, PG, Xavier, SO.
Fred Kerber of the NY Post (June 21): Terrance Ferguson, SG, Australia, INT. "Not the best at creating, but he has the 3-point range that is crucial in the NBA these days. Bypassed a year of college at Arizona to play professionally in Australia."
NBADraft.net (June 20): Round 1 -- Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky, FR; Round 2 -- Dillon Brooks, SF, Oregon, JR. Previously: Round 1 -- Ivan Rabb, PF/C, California, SO; Round 2 -- Alec Peters, PF, Valparaiso, SR.
Jeremy Woo of SI.com (June 20): Round 1 -- Harry Giles, F/C, Duke, FR. "Milwaukee has worked out mostly big men in this draft range. Giles has considerable potential if he can stay healthy, and it can’t hurt that the Bucks’ staff has a strong recent history with injury recovery and rehabilitation (see Khris Middleton’s torn hamstring and Jabari Parker’s first ACL tear). The Bucks have been all about upside in recent drafts and can swing big again picking in this range. He could bring immense value in the late teens."; Round 2 -- Dwayne Bacon, SF, Florida State, SO. "The Bucks add some scoring punch with Bacon, who’s worth a dart throw for someone in the second round with his blend of size and strength."
Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic (June 20): Justin Patton, C, Creighton, FR. "I have Patton higher than a lot of folks. Reason: He runs the court, shoots with touch and protects the rim. While It's fair to question the big man's maturity (Patton red-shirted his first year at Creighton in part because of his lack of conditioning and discipline), his upside is tough to ignore."
David Kay of The Sports Bank via WalterFootball.com (June 20): Round 1 -- Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky, FR. "With an NBA-ready body, Adebayo is extremely physical in the paint, although his all-around offensive game needs time to develop. The Bucks lack an inside presence and could use his physicality and tenacity on the glass."; Round 2 -- Devin Robinson, SF, Florida, JR. Previously: Round 1 -- OG Anunoby, SF, Indiana, SO; Round 2 -- Nigel Williams-Goss, PG, Gonzaga, JR.
Bill Oram of the Orange County Register (June 20): OG Anunoby, SF, Indiana, SO. "Why Anunoby? Even with a new GM in place, the Bucks are stockpiling length. Anunoby is 6-8 with a 7-2 wingspan."
MyNBADraft.com (June 20): Round 1 -- Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA, FR; Round 2 -- Thomas Bryant, C, Indiana, SO. Previously: Round 1 -- John Collins, PF, Wake Forest, SO; Round 2 -- Mathias Lessort, SF/PF, France, INT.
Travis Mewhirter of SECCountry.com (June 20): Round 1 -- Luke Kennard, SG, Duke, SO; Round 2 -- Edmond Sumner, PG, Xavier, SO.
Tankathon.com (June 20): Round 1 -- Jarrett Allen, C, Texas, FR; Round 2 -- P.J. Dozier, SG, South Carolina, SO. Previously (1 round): Allen.
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (June 19): Round 1 -- Jarrett Allen, C, Texas, FR. "The size, the big hands, the long reach and wingspan -- he will be ready physically. It’s just that Allen does not play physical, doing most of his damage running the court hard and finishing, and following offensive rebounds. Beyond that, his offense needs a lot of work. His level of agility and reach equals the potential to become a good shot blocker and rebounder, and the Bucks need to improve on the boards."; Round 2 -- Cameron Allen, PF, Nevada, SO. "Averaging 8.7 rebounds in just 31.9 minutes last season as a sophomore, a skill that usually translates to the pros, is a testament to his athleticism and work ethic. (Not to mention 16 points and 2.6 blocks per game, along with 38.4 percent behind the arc, a sign he can impact beyond the paint.) It doesn’t hurt that Oliver played for long-time NBA coach Eric Musselman in 2016-17 at Nevada."
Chad Ford of ESPN Insider (June 19): Round 1 -- Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA, FR. "Anigbogu may be one of the rawest prospects on the board, but he's also the youngest. His defensive potential as a rebounder and rim protector are clear. Teams just have to take a wait-and-see attitude on the offensive end. Jarrett Allen, Terrance Ferguson and Justin Jackson could be options for Milwaukee."; Round 2 -- Dillon Brooks, SF, Oregon, JR.
Andrew Sharp of SI.com (June 19): Harry Giles, F/C, Duke, FR. "Giles is another player coming off an injury who could turn into a steal with the right health and the right team. Milwaukee needs a point guard, but the answer won't be available at 17, and they probably won't find much value on the wing, either. That leaves any number of big men to choose from, and Milwaukee has a history of gambling on draft night. Yes, GM John Hammond isn't there anymore, and GM Jon Horst has been on the job for less than a week, but let's say they keep tradition alive and swing big."
Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com (June 19): Round 1 -- Jarrett Allen, C, Texas, FR. "Allen was on a bad team in his one year at Texas - mostly because the Longhorns were young everywhere and without a point guard. But the 6-11 athlete was consistently good from February on and showed flashes of why he's worthy of being selected in the top 20. I'm not sure he can help Milwaukee next season. But he could eventually."; Round 2 -- P.J. Dozier, SG, South Carolina, SO. Previously (1 round): Donovan Mitchell, SG, Louisville, SO.
Reid Forgrave of CBSSports.com (June 19): Round 1 -- Jarrett Allen, C, Texas, FR. "The size is there. The potential is there. I worry about the shooting (56 percent from the free-throw line in college) and the lack of offensive tools. But a college coach who recruited Allen raved to me about his focus and work ethic. He's not the type of kid who will get in trouble, instead just staying in the gym and working on his game. At the very least he can be an intimidating, explosive low-post presence. That's a pretty nice floor."; Round 2 -- Sindarius Thornwell, SG, South Carolina, SR. "One of my favorite advanced stats sites, ValueAddBasketball.com, had Thornwell as the most valuable player in college basketball last season. So what? Well, this is the same site that had Jimmy Butler as a sleeper coming out of Marquette, and has hit on plenty of other sleepers. The MVP of the SEC who had a phenomenal NCAA tournament, Thornwell is a big, strong, tough player in the Frank Martin mold who can score inside and out. A guy who can come into the league and make an immediate impact."
Ricky O'Donnell of SB Nation (June 19): Harry Giles, C, Duke, FR. "The Bucks hit the jackpot on a boom-or-bust draft prospect with Giannis Antetokounmpo back in 2013. Thon Maker fit a similar profile last year and already looks like a good pick. Will Milwaukee continue to follow this strategy without departed GM John Hammond? Why not? If so, someone like Giles could make sense. He was a former No. 1 overall recruit before repeated knee injuries left him largely ineffective during his one season at Duke. If he can regain his previous form (another big if), this could be another quality pick for Milwaukee." Previously: Luke Kennard, SG, Duke, SO.
Daniel O'Brien of FanRagSports (June 19): Justin Patton, C, Creighton, FR. "Patton received a green room invite for the draft, so there’s a decent chance several mid-first-round teams are interested in him. Creighton’s unexpected one-and-done prodigy could be Milwaukee’s next big-man addition to bolster their frontcourt depth chart. Greg Monroe and Spencer Hawes could both possibly hit free agency this summer. Patton wouldn’t instantly replace their skill level and production, but he’d help partially fill the void. His nose for the rim and promising lefty shooting touch are tantalizing. Milwaukee must be patient with him, though; Patton needs to polish up key areas like defensive positioning and free-throw efficiency (52 percent at Creighton)." Previously: John Collins, PF, Wake Forest, SO.
Rob Dauster of NBCSports.com (June 19): Harry Giles, C, Duke, FR. Previously: Justin Patton, C, Creighton, FR.
Adi Joseph of USA Today (June 19): Jarrett Allen, C, Texas, FR. "Allen grades out as a lottery-caliber prospect and arguably is the best center in the class. The Bucks would love to find some backcourt help here — Donovan Mitchell would have been perfect — but this guard class is shallow."
Ari Kramer of Newsday (June 19): John Collins, PF, Wake Forest, SO. "Collins is extremely smooth offensively, with a solid stable of post moves and an effective jumper. Defense is his biggest shortcoming, but what he lacks in awareness he makes up for with his tenacity on the glass -- he ranked eighth nationally in offensive rebounding rate (16.4 percent) and 37th in defensive rebounding rate (25.7 percent) last season."
Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post (June 19): Bam Adebayo, PF, Kentucky, FR.
Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News (June 19): Jarrett Allen, C, Texas, FR. "Greg Monroe has a $17 million player option for next season. You would think Monroe would opt in, but strange things happen in the NBA. Add another long, versatile, big man in Allen and develop him along with Thon Maker."
Melissa Rohlin of the San Antonio Express-News (June 19): Luke Kennard, SG, Duke, SO. "He’s a skilled lefty with a great shot. He’s one of the best pure shooters in the draft, and many compare him to another Duke product, sharpshooter J.J. Redick."
Sam Veceine of Seth's Draft House (June 18): Round 1 -- Harry Giles, C, Duke, FR. "So why the Bucks? First, the team has shown a propensity — certainly under recently departed general manager John Hammond, at least — to take risks. Giles would be the ultimate risk/reward pick. It’s also worth noting though that the Bucks have one of the best medical teams in the entire league, particularly as it refers to ACL tears. Maybe their experience in dealing with Jabari Parker’s injuries will give them some confidence in getting Giles back to where he needs to be."; Round 2 -- Devin Robinson, SF, Florida, JR.
Dave Heller is the author of Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow, Facing Ted Williams - Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns
