Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez will have one year remaining on his NBA contract. Lopez is 36 years old and he could be a trade candidate this summer for Milwaukee. With having one-year remaining on his deal, they are going to have to start trying to find his replacement.
A season ago with the Bucks, he averaged 12.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.6 APG, 2.4 BPG, and 0.5 SPG. Lopez has been a valuable rim protector for Milwaukee and has been an excellent role player. He has been the starting center for Milwaukee and they are going to need to get younger at center.
The Milwaukee Bucks Find Brook Lopez’s Replacement By Selecting Center Daron Holmes II from Dayton With the 23rd Overall Pick In the 2024 NBA Draft
Milwaukee needs to keep its first-round pick this year in the 2024 NBA Draft to get younger. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer has the Bucks taking center Daron Holmes II from the Dayton Flyers with this selection. He is 6’9″ and weighs 221 lbs. Holmes II is also 21 years old.
O’Connor wrote about the Bucks making this selection with the 23rd overall selection in the 2024 NBA Draft by saying:
“The Bucks need to begin thinking about life after Brook Lopez. Holmes is one of the few bigs who brings rim protection and floor-spacing ability, so he’d follow a similar trajectory at that position.”
Holmes II played in 33 games a season ago with the Dayton Flyers as a junior. He averaged 20.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 2.1 BPG, and 0.9 SPG. Daron Holmes II shot 54.4% from the field and also shot 38.6% from three-point land with Dayton.
Some of the strengths that The Ringer gives Holmes II are as follows:
“He’s just figuring out how to play in his body. He was listed at 6-foot-8 as a high school senior, then sprouted to 6-foot-10 at Dayton. He is now around 230 pounds, with a long wingspan and explosive leaping ability. Shot blocking is his best defensive skill. He’s agile in small spaces and perceptive; he keeps his head on a swivel and hustles for second and third efforts on possessions. He also can step out as a disruptive perimeter defender who slides his feet with his arms spread wide.”
Some of the negatives are:
“Limited experience playing against top competition. NBA offenses will be a major adjustment for him in terms of speed, especially since he frequently gets pulled out into switches at the college level. He’s effective at getting stops at that level, but the pros are a different monster.”
Daron Holmes II being a potential Brook Lopez replacement on the Milwaukee Bucks is a very good call by Kevin O’Connor. This is a name that Bucks fans should familiarize themselves with throughout the NBA Draft process.
