Bucks Draft Picks: Tobias Harris and Jon Leuer

The Bucks selected Tobias Harris, forward out of Tennessee, with the 19th pick in the first round.

The 6'8 freshman power forward averaged 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. He was voted second-team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman Team. He was a finalist for the Naismith High School Player of the Year Award his senior year of high school.

Strengths: Harris is an athletic, multi-skilled player with a high basketball IQ. He has good passing ability, a great touch at the rim, good ball handling skills, a jump shot with a 30.3% 3-point percentage, and an adequate rebounder. He also plays great defense which is the one thing the Bucks are good at. His ideal position is power forward but he is capable of playing small forward if the pace is slowed down, something the Bucks do not do often. Assuming he plays power forward, Bucks center Andrew Bogut and him will be a nightmare for players inside the paint, both on offense and defense.

Weaknesses: Harris is not a pure shooter so he will have to put the ball down and drive. He will not be able to blow past too many defenders and with his size he will have to work on his mid-range shot. He will have to use his high basketball IQ to determine when to pull-up and take the shot or drive to the basket. There will be struggles rebounding at the power forward position because of his size, but Bogut cleans up the boards nicely so it should not be to much of a problem. The part of his game that he must work the most on is his defense. Head coach Scott Skiles will train him well in this area where he will be capable of becoming a dynamic defender.

Overall Harris is a great pick and will prove to be an asset for the Bucks.

Milwaukee selected Jon Leuer, forward out of Wisconsin, in the second round.

The 6'10 senior led the Badgers with 18.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He also averaged 1.6 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game with a 37.0% 3-point percentage. He was voted first-team All-Big Ten, an honorable mention AP All-American, and won the Lowe's Senior Class Award.

Strengths: Leuer has an arsenal of offensive skills with an excellent basketball IQ. His improved post-game with a turn-around shot will go great with his already established jump shot. He has good ball handling skills as he will be able to use a couple dribbles to set up a shot. He is a good passer and rebounder which is necessary from a big man. He can get up and down the court with ease for a man of his size, which is important on a fast pace team such as the Bucks.

Weaknesses: Leuer will struggle getting his shot over long defenders as well as driving past guys. He will have to use his skill to get away from defenders and make jump shots. The worst part of his game is defense. His lack of mobility and body strength will make him struggle as a defender unless the right coaching takes place. Good thing for Leuer, Scott Skiles is the best in the business when it comes to defensive coaches.

Overall Leuer was a no-brainer for the Bucks, who struggled offensively all season long. His addition as a great outside shooter will open the floor for the rest of the team to operate. Brandon Jennings will be able to control the pace of the game, while Bogut works the inside paint, knowing that Stephen Jackson, Carlos Delfino, and Jon Leuer can make outside shots all day long.

NBA Draft: Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks were very busy on draft day making a proposed trade with Charlotte and Sacramento. The details of the three-way trade are in the blog post directly below this one. Basically the Bucks got rid of Corey Maggette and John Salmons for Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, and Beno Udrih.

At first I was upset by this trade because I felt that Milwaukee general manager John Hammond gave up on the team.

John Salmons had a bad season last year but that does not mean he is a bad player. Corey Maggette is a very good player who was never really given much of a chance in Milwaukee, where he mostly came off the bench.

Stephen Jackson is definitely a scorer but can he do anything else? He has issues when he plays for a team that he does not want to, which he has made very clear that Milwaukee is not a good fit for him. Shaun Livingston has been considered a bust in the NBA since he was selected by the L.A. Clippers 4th overall in 2004. After a horrific knee injury in 2006, he missed the next season and played in only 48 games the next two with three different teams. Last year was his first good year playing in 73 games and averaging 6.6 points per game coming off the bench. Beno Udrih seems to be on the upswing as he started 64 games last season, a career high.

I thought about it, got over my own hysteria, and realized that this might not be such a bad deal after all.

Stephen Jackson (shooting guard) started 67 games last year. He averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. Comparably, John Salmons (shooting guard) started 70 games last year. He averaged 14.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. The numbers are very similar, but Jackson's stats are better in every category. The most important category for a shooting guard is points per game in which Jackson averaged 4.5 more points per game than Salmons did. If all goes according to plan and those numbers are mostly the same next year, the Bucks have just upgraded their shooting guard position. This is particularly important considering the Bucks ranked towards the bottom in almost every offensive category, ranking dead last in points per game and field goal percentage.

Beno Udrih started last season at guard, but the early rumors have stated that he will be coming off the bench in support of Brandon Jennings. Udrih played in 79 games last year and started 64 of them. He averaged 13.7 points (career high), 3.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists (career high), 1.2 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. Keyon Dooling, who was Brandon Jennings' backup last year, played in 80 games. He averaged 7.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.0 blocks per game. Considering Udrih will be coming off the bench, it is safe to assume that his numbers will not be the same from last year, but bench scoring is a huge asset in the NBA and either way he is a great addition to the team.

I am not exactly sure where Shaun Livingston fits on this team, but I am sure the Bucks will find a way to utilize him coming off the bench. He averaged 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 73 games played.

The Bucks selected Tobias Harris, forward out of Tennessee, with the 19th pick in the first round. The 6'8" freshman averaged 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. He was voted second-team All-SEC and will be a great asset to the Bucks.

With these additions the future looks bright in Milwaukee. The team has been upgraded and primed to make another playoff run in 2011-2012.

Bucks Proposed Trade

Milwaukee receives:
- Stephen Jackson (from Charlotte Bobcats)
- Shaun Livingston (from Charlotte Bobcats)
- Beno Udrih (from Sacramento Kings)
- Rights to Charlotte Bobcats 19th overall draft pick (Tobias Harris)

Charlotte receives:
- Corey Maggette (from Milwaukee Bucks)
- Rights to Sacramento Kings 7th overall draft pick (Bismack Biyombo)

Sacramento receives:
- John Salmons (from Milwaukee)
- Rights to Milwaukee Bucks 10th overall draft pick (Jimmer Fredette)