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

Larry Sanders needs more of these moments in 2014-15 after a disastrous 2013-14 campaign. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

They Had Their Moments (Part 2)

1981, No. 21 overall: Alton Lister, C-F, Arizona State
Alton Lister was a 7-footer who knew what he could do well—defend and block shots—and he did it.

In two stints and parts of seven seasons with the Bucks, Lister averaged 7.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 assists in 20.8 minutes a game and shot .527/.000/.575.

He might have played his best basketball during the 1986 playoffs, when he averaged 11.9 points a game as the Bucks reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

In July 1986, Lister was dealt with first-round picks in 1987 and 1989 to the Seattle SuperSonics for center Jack Sikma and second-rounders in 1987 and 1989.

He returned to Milwaukee in October 1994, returning from a year in Italy to sign a free-agent deal with the Bucks. But in November 1995, he was swapped along with guard Todd Day to the Boston Celtics for guard Sherman Douglas.

Lister played 16 seasons in the NBA, also seeing time with the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers before ending his career after he was waived by Portland in February 1999.

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2010, No. 15 overall: Larry Sanders, C-F, VCU
Sanders was a big man who averaged nearly a double-double as a junior at VCU and declared for the draft, and the Bucks—in the middle of the first round—took a shot on his athleticism and defensive upside.

It was a slow adjustment, with Sanders spending a little bit of time as a rookie in the D-League, and he was at the end of the rotation in his first two seasons.

But he had a breakout season in 2012-13, starting 55 games and averaging 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.

That was followed by an injury- and suspension-ravaged season in 2013-14, when he was limited to just 23 games and his production fell off across the board.

In four seasons, Sanders has averaged 6.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 19.6 minutes a game, shooting .477/.000/.559.

He led the NBA in blocked shot percentage in 2012-13 at 7.6 percent and was second in the league in blocks per game.

Sanders begins the first year of a four-year, $44 million contract extension in 2014-15 and is under contract through the 2017-18 season.

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1976, No. 7 overall: Quinn Buckner, G, Indiana
Buckner was a member of college basketball’s last undefeated team, the Indiana club in 1975-76 that finished 32-0. Despite not having gaudy offensive numbers, the Bucks tabbed Buckner No. 7 overall in 1976.

He went on to four NBA All-Defensive selections as a Buck and led the NBA in steal percentage (4.0) in 1978-79.

Buckner was primarily a starter in six years for the Bucks, during which he averaged 10.3 points, 5.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 26.4 minutes per game, shooting .469/.269/.660.

In September 1982, Buckner was traded to the Boston Celtics for the rights to the coming-out-of-retirement big man Dave Cowens. He also played for the Indiana Pacers in a 10-year NBA career.

He went on to broadcast for ESPN, NBC and CBS before taking the Dallas Mavericks’ coaching job for one year in 1993. He was fired at the end of the season and is now color commentator for Pacers’ broadcasts.

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1998, No. 6 overall (taken by Dallas): Robert Traylor, C-F, Michigan
The Bucks made a trade just before the draft, sending the No. 9 and No. 19 overall picks to the Dallas Mavericks in order to move up to No. 6 to get Traylor, who had averaged a double-double as a junior at Michigan.

It did not help the Bucks that the No. 9 pick turned out to be Dirk Nowitzki. There’s less criticism about Pat Garrity at No. 19, however.

Traylor was fairly efficient when he was on the floor. The problem was keeping him on the floor. Injuries stalled his development in his second season in Milwaukee after a decent rookie year during which he started 43 of the team’s 50 games.

In two years in Milwaukee, Traylor averaged 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game, shooting .514/.000/.522.

In June 2000, the Bucks traded Traylor and forward J.R. Reid to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a three-team deal. Milwaukee also traded guard Vinny Del Negro to the Golden State Warriors and got back forward Jason Caffey and swingman Billy Owens from the Warriors in the deal.

Taylor played seven seasons in the NBA, also spending time with the Charlotte and New Orleans Hornets and played in Spain, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Italy and Mexico.

He was in Puerto Rico when he was found dead in his apartment from an apparent heart attack in May 2011 at the age of just 34.

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1977, No. 1 overall: Kent Benson, C, Indiana
A two-time All-American and the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four in 1976 while leading Indiana to a 32-0 national title season, Benson was thought to be a can’t miss prospect.

For the most part, he missed.

His career got off to a traumatic start—he was punched in the face by Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his first NBA game and wound up sitting out 13 games as a rookie. He did average 12.3 points a game in his second year, but would be traded away late in his third season in Milwaukee.

He averaged 9.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, a steal and a block in 23.2 minutes a game for the Bucks, shooting .497/.000/.700.

In February 1980, Benson was dealt along with a first-round pick in 1980 to the Detroit Pistons for center Bob Lanier. He also played for the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers during an 11-year NBA career. He retired in 1989 after playing one season in Italy.

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Generated 6/13/2014.