In a way, the Milwaukee Bucks were the Los Angeles Clippers of the East last season; despite having an MVP at the helm and a roster composed of strong two-way players, they couldn’t even make it to the Conference Finals. Now, with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s contract year looming over their head, the Bucks must do all they can to convince the Greek Freak that he should stay in Milwaukee for another four or five years.
That won’t be easy.
Even though the Bucks will enter 2020-21 with nearly the same rotation as last season (a rotation that allowed Milwaukee to have the league’s best record at 56-17), they’re a weak shooting team and they ended up exposed in the playoffs. In addition, while the Bucks may have been dominant in 2019-20, they were ranked 23rd in strength of schedule by ESPN.
Related: Full Milwaukee Bucks 2020 Salary Cap Preview
2020 NBA Draft Picks
| No. 24 overall |
Bucks Draft Needs
At the risk of oversimplifying their draft needs, Milwaukee’s most glaring weakness is their lack of 3-point threats.
Therefore, with their sole pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Bucks should target the best possible shooter they can find without sacrificing their defensive aptitude.
In terms of who to target, with players entering the draft knowing how important of a skill shooting is? Milwaukee’s roster composition dictates that they prioritize a small forward prospect.
Although there’s plenty of talk surrounding the point guard position, the Bucks likely don’t have a pick high enough in the draft to secure a prospect that will perform better than Eric Bledsoe. Meanwhile, 39-year-old Kyle Korver — who ranked fourth on the Bucks in total threes last season while ranking 10th in total minutes — is set to become a free agent.
2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist
| No. 24 overall |
| PG Jahmi’us Ramsey, Texas Tech |
| SG Josh Green, Arizona |
| SG Desmond Bane, Texas Christian |
| G-F Robert Woodard II, Mississippi St. |
| SG Jay Scrubb, John A. Logan |
What The Mocks Are Saying
| The Ringer | Cole Anthony (No. 24) |
| The Athletic | Theo Maledon (No. 24) |
| USA TODAY Sports | Jalen Smith (No. 24) |
| CBS Sports | Aleksej Pokusevski (No. 24) |
| The Score | Jaden McDaniels (No. 24) |
Projected Roster
| PG | Eric Bledsoe |
| PG | George Hill |
| SG | Donte DiVincenzo |
| G-F | Khris Middleton |
| G-F | Wesley Matthews |
| SF | Thanasis Antetokounmpo |
| PF | Giannis Antetokounmpo |
| PF | Ersan Ilyasova |
| PF | D.J. Wilson |
| C | Brook Lopez |
| C | Robin Lopez |
