From the moment Jon Hurst took over as general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2017, he has spoken regularly about the importance of a successful collaborative process between himself and the organization’s head coach. Horst started it at one year old with Jason Kidd, but really blossomed during a five-year partnership with Mike Bodenholzer.
Along with Budenholzer, Horst tried to identify not only the Bucks’ best prospects but players who had the opportunity to adapt to the things Budenholzer wanted to do on the field. On Thursday, Horst made it clear he still believes in that mission, but also showed that the type of player the Bucks are looking to move forward has changed with new coach Adrian Griffin.
“We’re not trying to build a roster like we’ve done in the past,” Hurst told reporters following Thursday’s NBA draft. “He’s a different coach. We’re going to have a different system. There are basic non-negotiable things that we’ll always take care of and he’s very compatible on those things, but we also weigh his opinions and use his opinions to try and build that.
“It came when we had a press conference a couple of weeks ago now he’s really talking about energy, effort, defensive versatility, ability to shut down, substitution, challenge and things like that. I don’t think it’s wrong you see what we tried to do in the draft. And we’re going to try to bring people in our system and grow them in our system with Our new coach and the way we want to play. He’s as passionate as I am about these guys.”
The Bucks entered the draft with only one pick (No. 58), but Horst struck a draft night deal with the Orlando Magic to grab the second pick (No. 36) and ended up adding two players who demonstrate how philosophically things can change in a matter of weeks for the local currency.
Traded bucks for No. 36 and the Andre Jackson Jr. draft.
last week, the athlete I mentioned that the Bucks were trying to find a pickaxe in the 20s or 30s and I found the Bucks one Thursday night from Magic. In exchange for a second-round pick and 2030 cash considerations, the Bucks clinched the 36th pick.
There is always some level of risk in giving up a future pick, but the second round of the 2030 NBA Draft is a long way off. Selection in that draft won’t help the Bucks find potential contributors to a roster trying to compete for a championship in 2023-24 with Giannis Antetokounmpo still in his prime.
Without giving up an existing player from their roster, Horst found a way to reach the range they had hoped to reach before the draft and selected Andre Jackson Jr. from the University of Connecticut.
“(He’s) a national hero, a seasoned big program player, a winner, a guy who was really on the award ballot and kind of on the watch lists for being Defensive Player of the Year in college basketball,” Hurst said. . “He’s kind of a Swiss Army knife guy, kind of high level athlete, great on the open floor, really knows how to play, great pace, great decisions. A high personality and just a winner, so we’re really excited to have him on our team and be able to draft him.”
Jackson, 21, is an amazing player. For years, the Bucks have prioritized shooting to cordon off Antetokounmpo, and Jackson showed few skills in that department in college. In three seasons at UConn, Jackson made 167 three-pointers (1.9 attempts per game) and hit only 29.3 percent. However, the Bucks still took Jackson.
“He’s a winner,” Horst said when asked before the athlete About picking jackson despite bad shooting abroad. “To affect winning at a high level with low tries, he just knows how to do it. It’s not that he can’t shoot or he doesn’t shoot, he just knows how to play. He’ll find his places, he’ll pick his places. And if he’s sitting here next to me now, he’ll tell you.” That he can and will work on it.
“He’s a tireless worker. He’s a great competitor. And he’s going to get better in the field. It’s a teachable skill. It’s something you can improve on. I think it’s very difficult to find guys who are 6-3 or 6-4 and teach them how to be 6-6 or 6-7, not athletic and taught to be athletic.
“Andre’s been given a lot of gifts – gifts that are natural, acquired and worked – that I think will give him a chance to be a success for us.”
Even if there is a lot of work to be done in his shot, Jackson is impressive physically. The 6-foot-6 winger put up a maximum vertical leap of 39 1/2 inches and a three-quarter sprint of 3.14 seconds at the draft group, both of which were in the top five, and his wingspan was measured at 6.10.
Jackson has no problem showing off those physical gadgets.
As Horst mentioned during his post-draft remarks, it wasn’t just Jackson’s physical tools that were impressive, but rather how he used them to put his teammates in better positions.
“I don’t want to underestimate what he can do offensively, just because he doesn’t have these amazing stats,” Horst said. “This is a conductor. This is the guy who makes the ball play. He can help guys get shots. He can finish in the transition. He’s going to make some plays that are going to blow us away and he’s a second-round pick. He’s a rookie, so he has to grow and develop.”
“But I think he has the right makeup to do it and he’ll have the right opportunity to get what he earns here with Milwaukee.”
Jackson has played great shooting games on the National Champion Huskies this season, but he’s often been the player who creates their setup advantage and then hits them with targeted, timely passes, even on grab-and-go situations where he might have prioritized getting them. to the edge.
Despite his shooting struggles, no matter how well Jackson performs offensively, it will be difficult for him to achieve playing time unless his shooting improves.
But if Griffin wants to pressure the ball, Jackson has the physical tools and feel of the game to make a defensive impact.
“He’s going to have to grow his body and keep doing that, but in the current NBA, I think he (can defend) from one to five. I mean sure, from one to four,” Horst said.
“His strength and development there probably helps him to be more influential in the bigger positions, like the four or five positions. But what sets it apart is his IQ, his willingness to put himself in those positions, and he has the ability to carry out the task or whatever he wants to achieve in mathematical terms. He was A very influential defender and at a top level in the college.”
With their original pick, the Bucks selected Chris Livingston, a single player from the University of Kentucky. the athleteShams Charania of Livingston’s agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, reported contacting teams around the league and He asked not to draft Livingston Because he had a place to stay where he wanted to go and he ended up in Milwaukee.
Livingston, 19, averaged 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game as a freshman at Kentucky, but started 26 games for head coach John Calipari and appeared to feel more comfortable in his role as the season progressed.
“Chris has a pedigree – this is an all-American McDonald’s, he went through a top-level program, he’s been one of the best in his class for many years,” Horst said. “Really competitive kid, young man. Really mature body for his age and he’s a really hard worker. So I think when you put those things together, he’s got a great game. Attacks the edge, he can put the ball down. A good part of the season at Kentucky He was an extra player from the perimeter, and then he slipped a little bit later in the season. There’s a lot to work in there.
“I think he’s got the right approach, he’s got the right mentality to grind and make him work as a second-round pick for an NBA team, a good NBA team, the way he’s going to have to do it. We’re just as excited about him as we are about Andre, and I think we’ve got two young wingers who are competitive, physically strong, and physically gifted. We can add them to this team.”
At 6-foot-6 with a wingspan of 6-foot-11, Livingston has a stiff frame like Jackson, but weighs about 20 pounds more. While Jackson’s explosiveness stands out, Livingston’s potential has more to do with his strength.
At the end of the night, the Bucks came out with two wingers, which seemed to be their goal.
“It meant a lot and was totally on target,” Horst said. “It’s no secret, I think it’s very clear. Different levels of experience, different levels of success in college, different ages, but the basis of who they are and what we think they can achieve – competitiveness, size, strength, both of which are selfless, IQ High – it was definitely something we aimed for.
And really, we didn’t get 36 until we felt like we could get that. And at 58, we hoped we’d get him, but you never know, that’s really too far in the draft. And we had plans to get out for 36 if that didn’t work out, But we kind of jumped without a parachute when we went and got that pick.”
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(Photo by Andre Jackson Jr.: Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
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