After a disappointing end to their season, the Milwaukee Bucks are entering the offseason with a plan to improve in the swiftest time possible. To achieve that, they may have to select Terrence Shannon Jr. in the second round to give the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led team a scoring punch from the bench.
During the previous offseason, the Bucks’ front office decided to add a credible scorer to complement Antetokounmpo’s offense by swapping Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard. In past years, the main knock to Milwaukee’s game is that the Greek Freak was the only player generating points for his team.
While the two certainly worked well on the court, the team’s defense plummeted from second place last season to 19th right before Adrian Griffin was let go. After Doc Rivers was hired and Patrick Beverley was acquired before the trade deadline, Milwaukee’s defense slightly improved. However, key injuries to both Antetokounmpo and Lillard before and during the playoffs killed any chance for the Bucks to make a deep playoff tun this year.
Without their All-Star duo, Milwaukee fell to the Indiana Pacers in six games. Even though Bobby Portis and Khris Middleton stepped up, their effort still wasn’t enough to keep their hopes of contending alive. As a result, the Bucks will have to watch the postseason at home.
Milwaukee Bucks Projected To Use Second Round Pick on Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr.
Just recently, the Bucks received the 23rd and 33rd pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft. According to a mock draft devised by ESPN, the latter is projected to be Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. if Milwaukee spends its second round pick on him. In a scouting report done by Jonathan Wasserman for Bleacher Report:
“Though he’s now one of the oldest prospects in the 2024 draft class, Shannon entered the NCAA tournament averaging a career-high 23.0 points per game. He led Illinois to the Big Ten Tournament championship, putting up 102 points through three games.
“However, Shannon was suspended earlier this season after being charged in connection to an alleged rape this past September. An upcoming hearing in May could help determine where (or if) he’ll get drafted.”
Shannon averaged 21.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in his final year playing in the NCAA Tournament for Illinois. Moreover, he hit 44 percent of his field goals, 32 percent from deep, and 82 percent from the free throw line.
It remains to be seen whether Milwaukee will use its 33rd pick on Shannon or if his pending case will affect his chances of getting drafted. In any case, the Bucks will have to be wise in using this asset to help the team contend for another ring next season.
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