Milwaukee Bucks 2020 NBA Draft: 5 Sleepers

The Milwaukee Bucks could target one of these five sleepers in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Whenever the 2020 NBA Draft happens, the Milwaukee Bucks should be picking around 18 or 19th in the first round.

The good news is Sports Illustrated Sam Amico is reporting the NBA is eyeing September 25th as the date for the draft. That gives scouts a clear timeframe to aim for and wrap up their scouting processes by that point.

Despite the college season getting cut short due to COVID-19, the Bucks have plenty of tape on these players to make educated decisions on draft night. The trickiest part may be players who are dealing with injuries (like Vanderbilt’s Aaron Nesmith whose season ended prematurely due to a broken foot). It could make life difficult for those prospects, as it will be challenging for teams to get their medical personnel to check on the players.

As far as the draft itself goes, the Bucks tend to target players that weren’t in the public’s eye coming into the draft. Such was the case with D.J. Wilson and Donte Divincenzo–both players were surprise picks by Milwaukee. With that in mind, here are five sleepers Milwaukee could consider in the draft.

5. Josh Green (Scouting Report Here)

This year’s class has a decent number of three-and-D wing prospects who could go in the early-to-mid teens. However, Josh Green isn’t getting nearly as much hype as the rest of them. He doesn’t try to do too much and understands his role perfectly. At 6-foot-6, he has an above-average wingspan at 6-foot-10 and works hard on defense. He has good lateral quickness and is a smart team defender as well. He can’t shoot on the move, but can knock down spot-up threes. He won’t do much else on offense, but the Bucks don’t necessarily need that at this point either.

4. Theo Maledon (Scouting Report Here)

A combo guard out of France, Theo Maledon has plummeted on draft boards because of the lack of improvement he showed this season. However, he’s still just 19-years-old and has played professionally for a couple of years now. He’s a lengthy combo guard who can either play with the rock in his hands or off the ball. He could be a diamond in the rough.

3. Jalen Smith

With a potential need at their backup forward position, the Bucks could target Jalen Smith to meet that need. He made 36.8 percent of his threes last season, a necessary trait for any Big looking to crack the Bucks’ rotation. He runs the floor well and works hard on defense–even if he’s not very good on that end yet. Still, he’s a good shot blocker and might be able to fare well in Milwaukee’s drop pick-and-roll scheme.

2. Saddiq Bey (Scouting Report Here)

Saddiq Bey’s game isn’t nearly as sexy as some of the other three-and-D wings, but don’t sleep on him. At 6-foot-8, he might be a little stiff to play wing full-time, and might have to slide over to forward as well. He can guard multiple positions and is a deep-threat to boot. That’s an attractive combination for the 18th (or so) overall pick.

1. Patrick Williams (Scouting Report Here)

If Milwaukee wants to swing for the fences, Patrick Williams could be their man. He doesn’t have the same college profile as the rest of these prospects, but he’s just beginning to scratch the surface. He can defend multiple positions with good lateral quickness and strength, and should continue to improve on that end of the floor. He’s also a good three-point shooter with a budding game that should continue to grow as he develops. His ceiling is higher than a lot of players projected to go in this range which could cause him to rise on draft boards. But if he falls to the Bucks, they could snatch him up quickly.