Dalton Sell

Highly motivated college graduate looking to make a name for himself in the wide world of sports, writing, or editing. I have been writing and editing for several years now for various outlets, becoming prolific in covering breaking news, developing personal pieces, and editing the work of myself or others in a timely fashion. Most of my work has revolved around the Milwaukee Bucks, day in and day out. Driven by a strong work ethic and desire to succeed in this field.

1.  1 dream, 1 realistic, and 1 floor comparison for Bucks' Andre Jackson Jr.

With the 36th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks took Andre Jackson Jr. from UConn.

The Bucks clearly had their eye on Jackson from afar, as they traded up to land him in a surprise deal with the Orlando Magic. Milwaukee sent out a 2030 second round pick and cash in the deal to acquire pick 36. Most fans are excited about the pick, and understandably so. Truly, Milwaukee’s entire haul from the 2023 draft is pretty captivating, but Jackson is the biggest reason why.

Jackson heard his name called at the draft following a successful three-year run at UConn, where he won a National Championship in 2023. In his three seasons, Jackson was essentially a starter full-time outside of his first year. In that span, he averaged six points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and a steal per contest.

Due to what he brings to the table, Jackson has a chance to carve out a legitimate role for himself with the Bucks. This team needed more defense, youth, athleticism, and playmaking, and Jackson checks off all of those boxes. Under Coach Adrian Griffin, it seems like player development will be much more prominent for the Bucks moving forward, and getting the best out of Jackson will be on Griffin’s to-do list.

Given his skills, Jackson has drawn comparisons to some notable NBA players. With that said, let us look at some comparisons for the 21-year-old, including a dream, realistic, and floor scenario.

Dream ceiling - Andre Iguodala

It’s a complete coincidence that these two players share the first name. However, in addition to their first names, Andre Jackson Jr. and Andre Iguodala share some similar on-court attributes in their playstyles that could make the former a solid rotational piece for years to come if he is able to unearth that potential within his game.

First and foremost, both are strong defenders. Ironically, they're also both 6-foot-6. Iguodala has always been known for his imposing presence defensively, having earned two All-Defensive nods in his career and a Finals MVP in 2015 for his defensive efforts against LeBron James. Bucks fans should not expect Jackson to immediately come in and defend some of the best players to ever play the game at a high level, but the wing has the length, athleticism, and IQ to make things hard for opposing wings nightly, as Iguodala has throughout his career.

Offensively, neither Iguodala nor Jackson have been strong outside shooters; they've had to rely on attacking the hoop more often. Another aspect of their games offensively that the two share is a quality passing ability. Iguodala averaged 4.2 assists in his career, while Jackson averaged 3.5 in his three years at UConn. Like Iguodala often did for many years as a member of the Warriors, Jackson could serve as a playmaker off of the bench to give the Bucks another facilitator.

If Jackson could develop his game and become Milwaukee's version of Iguodala, there's no doubt that he could be a key piece for years to come.

 Realistic ceiling - Donte DiVincenzo

Bucks fans will either love or hate this comparison for Jackson. Donte DiVincenzo spent the first three and a half years of his NBA career with the Bucks and had his share of inconsistencies. Yet, just looking at their respective games, DiVincenzo and Jackson share some key similarities in how they perform on the court.

Again, starting with the defense, both players are extremely versatile. DiVincenzo often served as a Swiss Army Knife off of Milwaukee's bench, giving them a player who could defend no shortage of positions. Jackson can be the same way, and with two inches of added height, he may be even more versatile at this level. Sticking with that, DiVincenzo was versatile when the Bucks went with their switching schemes, and Jackson will undeniably be the same exact way. Coming in, he may already be a better defender than Donte DiVincenzo was.

Offensively, rookie DiVincenzo had some improving to do, especially as a shooter. Jackson will be tasked with doing the same. DiVincenzo shot just 31.8 percent from three during his first two seasons before breaking out in year three, having hit 37.9 percent of them. If Jackson is able to eventually find his perimeter stroke and become a reliable outside shooter like DiVicenzo has, those concerns about his offensive game will be lessened mightily.

Secondary playmaking is another characteristic the two share. DiVincenzo didn't handle the ball too much in Milwaukee, but he was always willing to orchestrate things whenever called upon in his three and a half years. As highlighted in the Iguodala section, that is something Jackson could excel at in the NBA. Finally, both of these players have tremendous athleticism and can leap out of the gym on fast breaks to throw down some thunderous dunks.

 Floor ceiling - Matisse Thybulle

Since being drafted, Jackson has drawn his share of comparisons to Portland's Matisse Thybulle, which is very understandable.

The biggest reason for the comparison stems from their defensive reputation. Thybulle has been a great defender throughout his first four seasons, having already earned two All-Defensive nods in such a short time. He's 6-foot-5, versatile, and can defend plenty of positions. Ironically, the Bucks reportedly inquired about trading for Thybulle this past season for all of those reasons. Now, the team has a player who is much younger and less experienced but still checks off those boxes.

The defensive comparison is valid in a good way, but the offensive comparison tips in the other direction. Thybulle has struggled to find his niche on that end throughout his four years, having averaged just 4.6 points while shooting 33.4 percent from long range. As highlighted previously, there as concerns as to what Jackson can give the Bucks on that end in the scoring department. One thing that Jackson has on Thybulle is that he's a better passer. Passing has never been a big component of Thybulle's game, having averaged an assist per game in four years.

If Jackson can become a better passing Thybulle, he could be a steal of a second round selection for the Milwaukee Bucks. He might not earn the All-Defensive selections like Thybulle has right away, but the two players undoubtedly share some similarities.

2. Bucks sign undrafted free agent Drew Timme: Reaction and analysis

Long after they drafted both Andre Jackson Jr. and Chris Livingston in Thursday's 2023 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks were making calls.

Milwaukee picked up two players from the undrafted free agent pool, the first being Omari Moore from San Jose State. Per The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Bucks also plan to bring Drew Timme aboard via an Exhibit 10 deal. An Exhibit 10 is essentially a minimum deal that can be turned into a two-way deal if done before the season. This is certainly an interesting move by Milwaukee.

Timme is coming off a tremendous four-year stay with the Gonzaga Bulldogs, where he developed quite the resume. His accomplishments include but are not limited to being named  WCC Player of the Year twice, being named First-team All-WCC three times, and being recognized as a consensus first-team All-American in 2023. During those four years, Timme started in 105 of his 134 games and put up 17.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 0.9 blocks per contest.

While he's undeniably a strong player, there are questions regarding how Timme would fit in with the Bucks. The 6-foot-10 big man was a 25 percent career 3-point shooter in college, having been a much more imposing threat in the post. Milwaukee has always liked their big men to be able to stretch the floor beyond the perimeter, with Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, and Meyers Leonard all serving as key examples. Yet, it makes sense for the team to stock up on frontcourt depth with Brook Lopez set to hit free agency and a ton of teams looking to poach him from Milwaukee.

In all likelihood, Timme will not be a member of the Bucks to start the season. However, the team could very well keep him around by placing him with the Wisconsin Herd, their G-League affiliate. That would allow Timme to develop and work on his game, and if the Bucks were then in need of some big man depth, the forward would be readily available. That's just speculation. Who knows, perhaps a strong showing in the 2023 Summer League could change that notion and force the team to bring him aboard utilizing their second two-way slot, with the first having gone to fellow undrafted free agent Omari Moore.

3. Reaction to Khris Middleton declining his player option with the Bucks

The night before the 2023 NBA Draft was certainly an eventful one for several other teams across the league, including the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, and LA Clippers were in deep talks on a three-team deal, but it fell through with just over an hour until the late-night deadline. Swapping out the LA Clippers for the Memphis Grizzlies, the Wizards and Celtics completed a massive three-team deal. While all of that was going on, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Khris Middleton would decline his player option worth $40 million with the Bucks for the 2023-24 NBA season.

This news isn't too shocking. For months, the belief has been that Milwaukee wants to retain the forward on a new long-term deal. Opting out of his option allows Middleton and the Bucks to work on a new deal at a lower cost. HoopsHype's Michael Scotto recently spoke to executives around the NBA who believe Middleton's new deal could be somewhere around $130 million over four years. That would be around $32.5 million on average, which is quite less than what he would have been making on that player option.

Keeping Middleton is the right move for the Bucks. They likely would not get anything close to equal value in a sign and trade, and letting him walk would be nothing short of disastrous for a team like the Bucks, who have limited avenues to improve as is. Along with Brook Lopez, the main priority for Milwaukee this off-season is retaining these two players in free agency.

After the season he just had, some may be hesitant to give Middleton a new long-term contract. Yet, at 31 years old, Middleton still has plenty of good basketball left to be played. Middleton had dealt with a nagging knee injury this past season, but he has reportedly undergone surgery since the season ended to try and fix the issue moving forward. Hopefully all went well with that so that Middleton can get back on the court as soon as possible.

It's not set in stone that Khris Middleton will return to the Bucks, but him opting out of this deal allows him to get a much bigger contract from Milwaukee in the coming weeks.

4. The Milwaukee Bucks must get involved in the latest Grizzlies trade rumors

It will be fascinating to see what the Milwaukee Bucks do this off-season regarding their roster.

They were recently chasing the biggest fish on the market in Bradley Beal, who landed with the Phoenix Suns. With Beal out of the picture, the likelihood of the Bucks landing another star is very unlikely, but there are still some solid names out there who could make the Bucks stronger. One of those names is Memphis Grizzlies' guard Tyus Jones.

Action Network's Matt Moore fully expects Jones to be on a new team by the time summer ends. With starting point guard Ja Morant set to miss 25 games due to a suspension to start next year, this news is a bit strange from Memphis' perspective. Still, if they are willing to move Jones over the next few months, the Bucks should be a prominent suitor.

The Bucks would benefit from having a pure point guard in their starting lineup. Jrue Holiday has been fine in that role, but he's more of a combo guard and played the best basketball of his NBA career as a two-guard with the New Orleans Pelicans. At times, especially in the playoffs, it felt like Holiday struggled due to all of the tasks he had to juggle, which typically involved guarding the other team's top player while also being asked to lead the offense. Adding a true point guard may be the answer to eliminating or at least lessening Holiday's struggles.

When it comes to realistic options for the Bucks, it would be hard to find one better than Jones at this very moment. The guard has established himself as one of the best reserves in the business and is coming off a year where he averaged 10.2 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game, all of which were new career highs. His facilitating would be a huge boost in Milwaukee's lineup, freeing up players like Giannis Antetokopunmpo and Holiday to do more elsewhere.

A major thing about Jones that stands out is how smart he is with the ball, as he rarely turns it over. He hasn't averaged a turnover per game yet in his career. He averaged 0.9 this past year, which is extremely impressive when averaging 5.2 assists. The Bucks have been known to be a tad sluggish when it comes to taking care of the basketball and limiting turnovers, so adding a player like Jones would certainly help cut that down.

The biggest knock on Jones is that he's an undersized guard at 6-feet tall. That's problematic to an extent, especially on the defensive end, where the guard could be targeted. It's a valid concern. Yet, there is certainly still plenty of positives to consider when it comes to Jones.

Jones is on the books for an expiring $14 million this season, which makes him a reasonable target for the Bucks financially. It's unclear what the Grizzlies may want in return for the guard if they are really looking to deal him, but the Bucks should kick the tires.

5. The Ringer's 2023 NBA mock draft has Bucks taking a potential-filled wing

The 2023 NBA Draft will be a long night for the Milwaukee Bucks, as they hold the last overall pick, which will be 58th.

Mock drafts from various NBA outlets have started to come out with potential picks for the Bucks, and The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor had an interesting option for Milwaukee. In his latest mock, the Bucks finish the night off by taking young forward Emoni Bates from Eastern Michigan.

The appeal with Bates is clear to see. At one point, he was the No. 1 player in the 2022 recruiting class and was a hot commodity. While he had a rocky collegiate tenure, the potential is still there for Bates. He put up fine numbers this past season by posting 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per contest. At 19 years old, Bates is still plenty young and has room to grow. He'd be an exciting young talent for Milwaukee to develop.

As O'Connor notes, Bates is an exceptional shot-maker for a player of his size at 6-foot-8, which is something the Bucks need more of. He's a versatile scorer in the sense that he can score from just about anywhere on the floor and could give this team a major boost off of the bench offensively. Ideally, Bates could add some size, as he's just 179 pounds despite standing at 6-foot-8. If the wing does land with the Bucks, perhaps he could get on that Giannis Antetokounmpo diet.

One reason Bates has fallen so low in most mocks was his off-the-court troubles this past year, where he was caught carrying a concealed firearm with altered ID marks. The charges were later dropped. O'Connor notes that Bates has maturity issues and needs to land in a good environment, which Milwaukee could undeniably provide.

Antetokounmpo has often taken younger Bucks players, such as Thon Maker, Mamadi Diakite, and MarJon Beauchamp, under his wing, and he could certainly do the same with Bates to show him the ropes. The same goes for Adrian Griffin, who is known for his player development skills.

In short, if Bates is still on the board at 58, Milwaukee should not think twice about taking him.