Bucks to evaluate NBA, D-League options at combine

• NBA Draft is June 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn
• The Bucks have the 17th and 48th picks
• The NBA Draft combine is Thursday and Friday at Quest Multisport in Chicago

Not everyone is going to agree when it comes to the quality of NBA draft prospects. But when it comes to the 2017 draft overall, there's been a near consensus in basketball circles over the past few years.

This year's crop of talent is expected to be fantastic.

That has a lot to do with the top of the draft board, where freshmen could reasonably slot into the top 10 spots on June 22 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

On Thursday and Friday, front-office personnel representing every NBA team will descend upon the gym at Quest Multisport in Chicago to get a close look at this year's class at the NBA draft combine. Sixty-seven players are expected to attend, including Washington's Markelle Fultz — projected as one of the top two picks — and former Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes.

For teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, who pick 17th and 48th in the draft, there's still plenty to look forward to outside of the lottery. Part of the beauty of this year's draft is it's expected to be strong but not necessarily top-heavy.

“I think the front end of the draft is very, very good, and I'm not one to say that very often," Bucks general manager John Hammond said.

"I usually get very guarded on drafts. I'm not able to see the future like that, I guess. On this one, I think you can see the future. You can see these guys — there's a grouping of guys — that have a chance to be special players in this league and I think even down at 17 we're going to get a good player."

Looking back at last year's draft, the Bucks were unequivocally big winners. They shocked the league by using the No. 10 overall pick on Thon Maker, who was making the jump from prep school in Canada. In the second round, the Bucks took Malcolm Brogdon, a five-year player at Virginia.

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Maker and Brogdon ultimately combined to start 62 games, as well as starting and playing critical roles in Milwaukee's playoff series against the Toronto Raptors. Brogdon reliably put up strong numbers all season on the way to becoming one of the front-runners for the rookie of the year award, which will be announced on June 26.

Thanks in part to the success of those two picks, the Bucks enter this year's draft with a solid, young nucleus to build around.

Led by a breakout season from rising NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks finished sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 42-40 record and pushed the Raptors to six games before bowing out in the first round of the playoffs. Including Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee currently has 10 players under contract — with an average age of 24 years — heading into next season.

So what is Hammond looking for in this year's draft, which is expected to be his last as Bucks general manager before assistant GM Justin Zanik takes over next year?

"Shooting," Hammond said. "It's interesting — I think we've said this before — but I think you probably can go around to the other 29 teams in the NBA and you start saying, 'If we can add one thing, what would it be?' Most everyone needs shooting. The object of this game is still to put the ball in the basket. If you can put the ball in the basket, even with range, better yet."

Adding shooters was a theme around this time last year as well. In 2015-'16, the Bucks attempted 1,277 three-pointers and made 34.5% of them, both the lowest marks in the NBA. This past season, Milwaukee made notable strides in that area, attempting 1,946 treys and making them at a 37.0% clip. The number of attempts still ranked in the bottom third of the league (24th), but the uptick in percentage put the Bucks at No. 10 in the NBA.

"Three-point shooting is a factor; it's not going to go anywhere," Hammond said. "We have to continue to improve in that area like most of the teams in the league."

If the Bucks are going to bolster their shooting, it would likely mean adding a guard or wing. While the draft is expected to be deep with talent, the top players in those categories are thought to be concentrated in the lottery.

There will be options at those spots when it's Milwaukee's turn to pick at No. 17, although there may be more high-ceiling big men at that point. Considering center Greg Monroe's ability to opt out of the final year of his contract — with the deadline for his decision being the same day as the draft — the Bucks will also use the pre-draft process to take a took at what frontcourt options they'll have in the first round.

Regardless of what the Bucks do with their picks, they're entering uncharted territory with this year's draft. That's because the Bucks' NBA Development League affiliate in Oshkosh needs a full roster of players to begin competition in the fall.

"As we go through watching tapes on players or watching players (in person) all year, on our scouting forms we always put a little side note of players that could be good for our D-League and those players, of course, having the potential of possibly moving up to playing in the NBA as well," said Billy McKinney, the Bucks vice president of scouting.

Thanks to the league's new collective bargaining agreement, the Bucks' D-League affiliate will have additional value right away.

Starting next season, each NBA team will be able to give two D-League players "two-way contracts," which can be given to players with less than three years of professional experience. Two-way players will essentially fill the new 16th and 17th roster spots for the NBA club while primarily playing the D-League. A player on a two-way contract will earn between $75,000 and $275,000 per season, depending how much time he spends with the NBA squad.

Those two-way contracts have made it much more reasonable for underclassmen to declare for the draft as there are now 60 extra roster spots worth at least $75,000 in salary — a good chunk of money for someone that age with or without a college degree. It also makes second-round picks more useful for NBA teams, who now have a spot to stash and develop players.

"The D-League is just going to be a great opportunity for us," Hammond said. "There are gems that can be found in the D-League and we're looking forward to that opportunity — to have our own team, to use that for players that are on our upcoming current roster and be able to improve from within there."