A look at potential first-round selections for Milwaukee in 2022 NBA Draft

Below are five players the Bucks may be considering with the 24th pick.

Patrick Baldwin Jr.

The thought of the Bucks drafting Patrick Baldwin Jr. is an intriguing one for many fans. Baldwin is a native of Sussex, Wisconsin and was widely regarded as a potential lottery pick after his senior year of high school. Furthermore, he spurned larger programs to play for his father at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In short, the hometown kid would get picked to play for his hometown team. Sounds like a movie.

The problem, though, is that Patrick Baldwin Jr. did not stay healthy, nor did he play well in his lone season at UWM. In just 11 games, the 6-foot-9 guard averaged 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds on 34/27/74 shooting. UWM struggled mightily this season, and the elder Patrick Baldwin was fired by the university. The only question, in Baldwin Jr.’s mind, at that point was to either go pro or transfer. Obviously, he elected to go pro and entered the NBA Draft.

Baldwin Jr.’s draft stock dropped dramatically as a result of his poor season at UWM. While some analysts still project him to be a late first-round pick, others have him going undrafted. If Baldwin Jr. can bounce back and return to form, he would be an interesting piece for the Bucks. 

MarJon Beauchamp

MarJon Beauchamp is another NBA Draft prospect who was highly regarded coming out of high school. His college recruitment was complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of committing to a major university, Beauchamp played 12 games for Yakima Valley College in his hometown of Yakima, Washington.

Right before the season started, Beauchamp came down with COVID and missed several games. When he was able to return to play, he was limited initially with respiratory difficulties. However, he quickly returned to form and averaged 30.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.

After receiving renewed interest from bigger programs, Beauchamp decided to sign with the Ignite of the NBA G-League. In 12 games with the Ignite, Beauchamp averaged 15.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. His shooting splits, though, were not good. With the Ignite, Beauchamp shot 57/24/65 from the field.

As a 6-foot-6 guard, the Bucks would expect him to be able to create his own shot and/or hit 3-point shots on a consistent basis. These are things that Beauchamp did not prove he could do regularly, though it should be noted he is still quite young. Picking Beauchamp with the 24th pick would be drafting a player to develop within their own system, much like they have done with Jordan Nwora.

Christian Braun

Unlike the first two players on this list, Christian Braun has played three seasons of college basketball and has won a national championship. The University of Kansas product averaged 14.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last season. Perhaps most importantly, at least for fans of the Bucks, is the fact that Braun shot 50/39/73 from the floor.

Also unlike the first two players on this list, Braun is a player that could contribute right away for the Bucks. A traditional shooting guard, he can create his own shot and knock down 3-pointers. This is exactly the type of player that the Bucks need off of their bench. If Grayson Allen does not improve within the next year, Braun could eventually become the starting shooting guard on the Bucks’ roster.

Kennedy Chandler

Like Baldwin Jr., Kennedy Chandler is a “one-and-done” guard who spent his lone college season with his home state team. A product of the University of Tennessee, Chandler averaged 13.9 points, 4.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. He could easily fit onto the Bucks roster immediately as a backup point guard.

In 34 games (all starts) at Tennessee, Chandler shot 46/38/60 from the floor. Obviously, he needs to improve his free throw shooting, but his other shooting numbers are very promising. While he played just one season in college, Chandler racked up quite a collection of conference awards. He was named to the All-SEC Second Team, All-SEC Freshman Team, was a preseason Wooden Award pick, was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team and was the MVP of the SEC Tournament.

The Bucks are not known for drafting and developing many of their players. Obviously, Giannis Antetokounmpo is an exception and Nwora is a current project. If the Bucks feel like Chandler is their best option at backup point guard for the next three or four seasons, picking him at No. 24 would make a lot of sense.

Tari Eason

One of the needs that the Bucks have which Jon Horst highlighted in his last interview was the need for wings who can score. In that respect, 6-foot-8 forward Tari Eason from LSU makes a lot of sense as a potential Bucks draft pick.

After spending his freshman season at Cincinnati, Eason transferred to LSU where he could get more playing time. Betting on himself paid off immensely. This past season, Tari Eason averaged 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.9 steals per game. Of all the possible Bucks draft picks listed thus far, Eason is the best overall shooter, at least according to the stats sheet. In his lone season with LSU, Eason shot 53/36/80 from the floor.

Despite not getting much playing time as a freshman at Cincinnati, Eason was named to the ACC All-Freshman team after averaging 7.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. After his season at LSU, in which he was used as a sixth man off the bench, Eason was named the SEC Sixth Man of the Year. Obviously, bench scoring is an area of dire need for the Bucks, making Eason a very intriguing draft pick.