NBA Draft: Evaluating Every Milwaukee Bucks 1st-Round Pick

Yi Jianlian Day didn’t amount to much. His career as a Milwaukee Buck can be described as Yi Jianlian Season. (Photo by Jeremey Jennene/This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.)

In The Rotation (Part 1)

This section represents the bulk of the draft picks the Bucks have made in their history, 13 in total. These are the players who weren’t awful, but weren’t great, either. They made some contributions, but weren’t particularly memorable.

1995, No. 8 overall (taken by Portland): Shawn Respert, G, Michigan State
Another Michigan State guard who didn’t quite meet expectations, the Bucks traded the No. 11 overall pick along with a 1997 first-rounder to the Portland Trail Blazers to move up three spots and grab Respert, an All-American with the Spartans.

Respert lasted less than two seasons in Milwaukee though, as he was traded at the February deadline in 1997 to the Toronto Raptors for big man Acie Earl.

In parts of two years with the Bucks, Respert averaged 4.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and one assist in 12.2 minutes per game, shooting .383/.328/.857.

He also played with the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns in an NBA career that lasted just four seasons.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/13/2014.

2008, No. 8 overall: Joe Alexander, F, West Virginia
The Bucks liked Alexander and No. 8, but he only lasted parts of two seasons in Milwaukee, and because of a hamstring injury, he never saw the floor in his second year.

As a rookie, Alexander averaged 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game in the 59 games he played, shooting .416/.348/.699.

He played three games with in the D-League for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in 2009-10 after returning from injury, but was dealt along with forward Hakim Warrick and a 2010 first-round pick to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for John Salmons and three draft picks (a first-rounder in 2010 and second-round selections in 2011 and 2012).

Alexander has played two other stints in the D-League and also played in Russia, but has not played in the NBA since 2010.

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Generated 6/13/2014.

2002, No. 13 overall: Marcus Haislip, F, Tennessee
Haislip left Tennessee after his junior year and the Bucks were intrigued by his 6-foot-10, 230-pound frame and his ability to play either the 3 or the 4.

As it turns out, he didn’t play much of either, as he was cut after two seasons and 70 games. In his two years in Milwaukee, Haislip averaged 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per game and shot .449/.286/.697.

He also played with the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs in the NBA and has spent time abroad playing in Turkey, Spain, Greece, China and Lebanon. He played 2013-14 with the Jiangsu Dragons in the Chinese Basketball Association.

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Generated 6/13/2014.

1992, No. 23 overall: Lee Mayberry, G, Arkansas
The Bucks had two first-round picks in 1992 and Mayberry was their second after he had earned All-America honors as a senior at Arkansas.

In four years with the Bucks, Mayberry never missed a game and was a solid, if not spectacular, contributor. He averaged 5.3 points, 3.3 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game, shooting .428/.388/.647.

In July 1996, Mayberry signed a free-agent deal with the Vancouver Grizzlies, where he played for three more seasons.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/13/2014.

2007, No. 6 overall: Yi Jianlian, F, China
Yi was supposed to be the next big thing from China, following in the footsteps of countryman Yao Ming. However, he was a headache from the start, as Chinese basketball officials wanted him to play in a large market with a large Asian population.

That’s not exactly how one would describe Milwaukee.

Yi eventually signed with the Bucks, but proved to be much less effective than advertised. He played in 66 games, started 49, in his lone season in Milwaukee, averaging 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 25 minutes per game, shooting .421/.286/.841.

In June 2008, the Bucks traded Yi, along with swingman Bobby Simmons, to the New Jersey Nets for Richard Jefferson. He also played for the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks over the course of five NBA seasons.

He returned to China in 2012, where he still plays for the Guangdong Southern Tigers.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/13/2014.