March Madness is on the horizon, and that makes for some potential for big shakeups in the NBA Draft. The highlights of this year's draft are the first-year students who have dominated college play this season. This year's college basketball first-year class has been loaded. Based on mock drafts, the Bucks seem destined to pick in the lottery this year, and one name connected to them has been Arizona guard Brayden Burries.
NBA Draft analyst Jeremy Woo released a mock draft just before March Madness starts. With many questions surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Bucks could get a potential star in the lottery. Woo has the Bucks drafting Brayden Burries out of Arizona to try and give them a scoring boost at the shooting guard spot. It would be an interesting pick given the looming decision about Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.
If Milwaukee plans to keep him, it could make sense to target a more NBA-ready player with this pick. Burries has been a big riser during the course of the college basketball season, and while he is not as polished as others in the draft, his ceiling appears to be extremely high.
To his credit, Burries is averaging 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 31 games for Arizona. He is also shooting 49.7% from the field and 37% from three-point range. He has been effective on and off the ball, a capable screen operator who can also catch and shoot, giving him a solid foundation as a long-term backcourt fixture.
However, it is worth noting that he is a year older than many of his freshman classmates and slightly undersized for a two-guard at 6-foot-4, but he's gaining steam as a late-lottery name, adding yet another freshman to this mix. Still, Burries has been red-hot recently and has been the most dynamic player for Arizona.
It's clear that no matter what the Bucks do in the NBA Draft, Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to overshadow it because, as good a fit as Burries might be, the unknown around Antetokounmpo could lead them to pick someone else.
