For some NBA teams, like the Detroit Pistons, the 2023 NBA Draft serves as a way to help build for the future. For other teams, like the Denver Nuggets, the draft is a way to solidify an already solid team for the upcoming season. For the Milwaukee Bucks, we really don’t know their view on this draft at all. With so much left unknown, here are three Milwaukee Bucks draft targets for Thursday’s 2023 NBA Draft.
Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Targets
Mike Miles Jr. (PG, TCU)
Death, taxes, and Milwaukee Bucks point guards not showing up in the playoffs are the three guarantees in life. Since coming away with one of the most iconic steals in NBA History in Game 5 of the 2021 NBA Finals, Jrue Holiday has been nowhere to be found in the postseason, offensively. That is exactly where Mike Miles Jr. fits in as a Milwaukee Bucks draft target.
Miles has shown the ability to run offenses on his own at TCU. He has incredible passing skills, can find his own shot, and has the quickness to make defending him a problem. Miles was a big reason the Horned Frogs nearly made the Elite Eight this past season. While he certainly wouldn’t start for the Bucks as a rookie, he could be a great guard on the roster to help build around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Charles Bediako (C, Alabama)
It’s no secret that the Milwaukee Bucks are getting older and one of the main pieces that won’t be around much longer is center Brook Lopez. While Charles Bediako will not, and never will be, the type of player Lopez is, he could work for the Bucks if they develop him the right way. In the meantime, Bediako would be a great foil to Lopez if he re-signs next season.
Bediako is a lot like the prototypical NBA center from the early 2000s. He doesn’t do much outside the paint and is a bad free throw shooter. With that in mind, he is fantastic at virtually everything else. While he still needs to put on some weight, Bediako is a tower at seven feet tall and was the big man down low for an Alabama team that led the nation in two-point percentage defense and was in the top five in defensive efficiency.
Bediako earned All-Defensive Team honors in the SEC and also shot 66% from the field last season. As the season heated up, so did Bediako. He dropped double-digit points in five of his last six games and was fantastic in Alabama’s fast transition offense as well. While his free throw shooting is an area of concern, you can’t teach size. Bediako has everything the Bucks need now and can get evolve into a complete player with the correct development.
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Omari Moore (SF, San Jose State)
Omari Moore is a name that few know now, but many may know in just a few years. One of the quietest prospects in recent history, Moore flew under the radar as a recruit and has impressed even the harshest of critics with his sharp improvement over the past few years.
Moore was a four-year starter and took home Mountain West Player of the Year honors this past season after averaging 17.4 points, 4.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds on 43% shooting from the field. While his shooting does need improvement, especially from deep, he looks very similar to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a prospect.
Although Moore needs to improve on the shooting aspect of his game, he is a terrific passer and defender already. He has the size to handle bigger assignments while also having the quickness to keep up with guards. Moore may be more “raw” than other Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft targets, but with how much he’s improved already, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him turn into one of the best players in this draft in just a few years.
Milwaukee Bucks Draft Strategy
All three players give Milwaukee an option for different ways to view this draft. If the Bucks truly believe the coaching was what let them down and that they should run it back, then Omari Moore seems to be the pick. Should the team believes the offense needs a spark, Mike Miles Jr. would fit that mold well. If the Milwaukee Bucks draft based on rebuilding around Giannis, then the pick would seem to be Charles Bediako.
While there is a lot of bad that comes with having one pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, especially with said pick being the final pick, the Bucks are in a good spot. With so many possible ways to attack it, the front office’s view of the team will be on full display for this Milwaukee Bucks draft.
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