Milwaukee Bucks NBA mock draft roundup

With the NBA Draft rapidly approaching, mock drafts are being released left and right. Let’s take a look at a few and see who the Milwaukee Bucks are selecting.

Unfortunately, it was a difficult end to an otherwise very successful season for the Milwaukee Bucks, but they are in a position to regroup and hopefully make another playoff run in 2019.

Given that the Bucks won 60 games, which was the most in the NBA and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, they will be picking 30th overall in the first round. Their latest selection in a number of seasons.

While they do have a couple of notable free agents in Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, as well as some decisions to make in regards to George Hill and Nikola Mirotic, the Milwaukee Bucks have the opportunity to bring back a very similar roster as to what they had this past season.

Given the overall depth of the team, whoever they do end up selecting won’t have the burden of having to play significant minutes right away and instead, they can come off of the bench, or even spend some time developing with the Oshkosh Herd in the G-League.

Now, let’s get to the fun part and see who the experts have the Milwaukee Bucks selecting in round one of the draft!

Gary Parrish – CBS Sports

Eric Paschall – PF, Villanova

Last season for the Wildcats, Paschall would play in a whopping 36.1 minutes per game and would average 16.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, along with 2.1 assists. As a shooter, he would make 44.7 percent of his field goal attempts and shot 34.8 percent from deep.

Paschall is a very well-rounded player and is solid in just about all aspects of the game. He’s versatile which coach Mike Budenholzer will love to have at his disposal, but he will have to continue developing his outside shooting.

Gary Parrish had this to say about Paschall:

"“Villanova needed Paschall to elevate his play this season to stay relevant and win a fifth Big East title in a six-year span. He did. So the Wildcats did. And, in the process, the 6-7, 254-pound senior helped himself with NBA scouts by proving he’s more than just a role player on a team with four future NBA players, which is kind of what he was previously. Paschall averaged 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 36.1 minutes per game this season. The biggest thing working against him, at this point, is that he’s already 22 years old and will turn 23 in November.”"

Brad Rowland – Uproxx

Dylan Windler – F, Belmont

During the 2018-19 season, Windler would play in 33.2 minutes per game and would shoot 54 percent from the field, including 42.9 percent from three. On the year he would average 21.3 points per game, with 10.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

Windler is a very good shooter from deep and is a monster on the boards as well, as evidenced by his nearly 11 rebounds per game that he pulled down in 2018.

He was the only Division-I player with at least 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Windler has the makings of being a very good role player in this league.

Rowland would say this about Windler:

"“The Bucks really like players that can space the floor to 28 feet. Windler can certainly do that. For good measure, he brings size and is one of the best pure shooters in the entire class. That sounds like a Mike Budenholzer player.”"

Jonathan Wasserman – Bleacher Report

KZ Okpala – SF/PF, Stanford 

In his second season at Stanford, Okpala would play in 32.7 minutes per game and average 13.8 points per game, with 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists. As a shooter, he hit on 46.3 percent of his total shots and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Okpala’s ball skills and three-point shooting greatly improved this season, however, he would still struggle from the free throw line, making just 67.1 percent of those shots.

He’s a very good athlete and has all the physical tools to guard multiple positions in the NBA, but his overall skill set defensively is still quite raw.

Wasserman on Okpala:

"“A 6’9″ combo forward, Okpala has developed as a ball-handler, driving scorer and capable three-point shooter. He’s had a breakout season, but he’s still too much potential over polish for a perimeter-based skill player. Okpala will receive looks from teams in the 20s and could easily go in that range, especially if he shoots well in workouts.”"

Kyle Boone – CBS Sports

Daniel Gafford – C, Arkansas

Gafford would play in 28.7 minutes per game during his final season at Arkansas and would average 16.9 points per game, along with 8.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists.

While he would shoot 66 percent overall, a majority of those points came in the paint as shooting is not a strong suit of Gafford’s. Over his two seasons at Arkansas, he wouldn’t attempt any three-pointers and has a career free throw percentage of 56.2.

His length and athleticism gives him the potential to be a very good defender in this league and given his size he gets up and down the court quite well. Gafford will crash the boards to grab rebounds and get putbacks, but his outside shooting will have to greatly improve if he hopes to ever see significant playing time with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Boone would say this about Gafford:

"“Daniel Gafford, C, Arkansas: What do you get a team with a 6-11 athletic freak in Giannis? How about another 6-11 athletic freak? Gafford’s talents are vastly different than that of Antetokounmpo’s, but nonetheless important. He can be an early impact rim-protector and roll-man in a Bucks ecosystem that could allow him to flourish.”"

Jeremy Woo – Sports Illustrated

Mfiondu Kabengele – C, Florida State

During the 2018-19 season at Florida State, Kabengele would play in 21.6 minutes per game and posted 13.2 points per game with 5.9 rebounds and just 0.3 assists. Overall he would shoot 50.2 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from three, but he would attempt less than two three-pointers per game.

At 6’10”, 250 pounds, Kabengele has great size and is a decent outside shooter that will hopefully continue to improve. He would lead the Seminoles in scoring, despite coming off the bench and is a very efficient scorer.

Kabengele will have to improve his passing and decision-making, and he also has a tendency to get into foul trouble.

Woo would say this about Kabengele:

"“Kabengele emerged over the course of the season as Florida State’s sixth man, showcasing a surprising level of defensive mobility for a big-bodied player and proving he can block shots, rebound with consistency and knock down spot-up threes. The nephew of Dikembe Mutombo, Kabengele’s productivity and willingness to play a role has made him one of the more intriguing guys to follow as the combine approaches. He checks the right boxes for an energy big, and if the jump shot translates, there’s an interesting player here.”"

Almost anything can happen on draft night, so it will be interesting to see who is available when the Milwaukee Bucks are on the clock, as well as who they value most on their big board. But what we do know is that we have faith in GM Jon Horst to bring in the right player to fit coach Bud’s system and help this Bucks team.