The Worst Draft Mistakes In Milwaukee Bucks History

Since 1968, the Milwaukee Bucks have served as Wisconsin’s sole professional basketball team. They have won two NBA championships during their existence, in 1971 and 2021, with each title team being led by an all-time great big man they acquired through the NBA Draft. The Bucks have a decent track record of draft picks who have made a positive impact on their franchise as well. However, much like every other team in NBA history, they have made their fair share of mistakes as well. 

We have been through our draft mistakes before from franchises such as the Warriors and teams like the Detroit Pistons. The way we evaluate each mistake is not based on the selection at the time. As a matter of fact, most of these “mistakes” were actually good or even great picks at the time. Our choices that we have labeled as mistakes are more about how each player’s career panned out and how much better the Milwaukee Bucks would be today if they had gone another route on draft night throughout the years.

Ladies and gentlemen, these are the worst draft mistakes in Milwaukee Bucks history.

Gary Freeman (1970 NBA Draft) – 16th Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Tiny Archibald – 18th Overall Pick

We would have to travel back 53 years to encounter the first draft mistake in Milwaukee Bucks history, and it is one that could have cost them multiple NBA championships. In 1970, the Bucks would take 6’9’’ small forward Gary Freeman out of Oregon State with their 16th overall pick. Freeman would make his debut for the Bucks that season but would not last long in the city or in the NBA. After just 41 games, Freeman was traded to the Cavaliers and would retire immediately following the 1970-71 season. The Bucks would be NBA champions that season, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.

Although they already had a point guard, another talented guard who would have been a lethal pairing with Robertson was sitting there for the taking just two picks after they selected Freeman. Tiny Archibald could have helped the Bucks overcome some of their shortcomings in later playoff series, considering how great he turned out to be. Archibald would earn six All-Star selections in his career. In 1973, he became the only man in NBA history to lead the NBA in scoring and assists in the same season. On top of those All-Star selections, Archibald would be a 5-time All-NBA Team selection as well as the 1981 All-Star Game MVP. Later on, in 1981, Archibald would win an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics.

Quinn Buckner (1976 NBA Draft) – 7th Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Robert Parish – 8th Overall Pick

The next big draft mistake in Milwaukee Bucks history would come during the 1976 NBA Draft. The Bucks had just completed their first season after trading Karem to the Lakers, finishing with 38 wins and a loss in the first round of the playoffs. Their selection with the 7th pick that season would be Quinn Buckner out of Indiana, a guard with a knack for making plays on the defensive side of the ball. Buckner would be more than decent for the Bucks with two All-Defensive Team selections with them and two more with the Celtics later on in his career. Buckner played a total of 10 seasons in the NBA and averaged 8.2 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 1.9 SPG for his career.

As much as Buckner provided defensively for Milwaukee over the course of six seasons, it would be the man who was selected one pick after him that would be a much more impactful player. Robert Parish is most well-known for being a major two-way player for the Boston Celtics during the 1980s and 90s at center. Parish would help Boston win three NBA championships in 1981, 1984, and 1986 as well as earn 9 All-Star appearances and two All-NBA Team selections. Nobody can fully replace the talent and impact of Kareem for Milwaukee, but Parish certainly could have made the transition easier.

Kent Benson (1977 NBA Draft) – 1st Overall Pick

Better Available Picks: Bernard King – 7th Overall Pick, Jack Sikma – 8th Overall Pick

The following season, the Bucks would earn the first overall pick after finishing 30-52 in 1976-77. With this pick, the Bucks would take Kent Benson out of Indiana. Benson was a 6’10’’ center who would have a few decent seasons in his 11-year career with the Bucks, Pistons, Jazz, and Cavaliers. Benson would last just two and a half years with Milwaukee, however, and averaged just 9.8 PPG and 5.9 RPG over 207 games.

Sitting just a few selections later were two of the better players in the entire draft. Bernard King is one of the most talented scorers in NBA history from the small forward position. King averaged 22.5 PPG for his career and won a scoring title with 32.9 PPG in 1985, and earned four All-Star selections in his career. Also available for the Bucks at number one was legendary SuperSonics big man Jack Sikma. Now, Sikma would end up with the Bucks in 1986-87, but they missed out on his prime years. Before arriving in Milwaukee, Sikma spent nine seasons in Seattle, where he would earn seven All-Star selections and win an NBA championship in 1979, averaging 16.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.0 BPG.

Andrew Bogut (2005 NBA Draft) – 1st Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Chris Paul – 4th Overall Pick

For years between 1977 and 2005, the Bucks were either on top of their game when it came to the NBA Draft, or they dealt their first-round picks for already established NBA-level talent. In 2005, the Bucks were back at the top of the draft with the number one pick. They decided on Australian big man Andrew Bogut who would be a Milwaukee fan-favorite for the next seven seasons. In Bogut’s seven seasons with the Bucks, he averaged 12.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 1.6 BPG with zero All-Star selections and one All-NBA Team selection in 2010. Bogut was not a bust by any means, but compared to the pick they could have had, it isn’t really close as to who the better pick would have been. Bogut would eventually win an NBA championship with the Warriors in 2015.

With the selection of Bogut, the Bucks let one of the greatest point guards in NBA history slip to the Hornets at number four overall. Chris Paul would go on to become one of the best two-way point guards in NBA history and still remains one of the best today. Paul has turned in a legendary 18-year career in which he has won five assists titles, six steals titles, 12 All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA Team selections, and nine All-Defensive Team selections. The only thing missing from Paul’s career resume is an NBA championship, something he possibly could have won if the Bucks selected him number one back in 2005.

Jimmer Fredette (2011 NBA Draft) – 10th Overall Pick

Better Available Picks: Klay Thompson – 11th Overall Pick, Kawhi Leonard – 15th Overall Pick

In 2011, the Milwaukee Bucks made an interesting move with their 10th overall pick. They decided to select BYU graduate and the nation’s leading scorer from 2010, Jimmer Fredette. No sooner than they announced his name was Fredette traded to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team deal that landed Milwaukee Beno Udrih, Tobias Harris, and Stephen Jackson. Fredette turned out to be a massive college-to-NBA bust, while the deal led to mediocrity for the Bucks.

Little did the Bucks know that two franchise changers were still on the board at the time. The first of these stars I speak of is Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors. Over the last 12 seasons, Thompson has become one of the greatest three-point shooters in NBA history and has won four NBA championships in the last eight seasons. The other star still on the board at this time is two-time Finals MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard. As one of the best two-way small forwards ever and a game-changing superstar, Leonard could have carried the Bucks for some time while they awaited the arrival of their current generational superstar.

Jabari Parker (2014 NBA Draft) – 2nd Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Joel Embiid – 3rd Overall Pick

The next selection that occurred in 2014 prevented the formation of perhaps the greatest frontcourt in NBA history. At this time, the Bucks were unaware that Giannis, who was in his second season, was going to become the best player in the world and an MVP in the coming years. Jabari Parker was the right choice back in 2014 as one of the best players in the country coming out of Duke University, but the way it panned out was a shame. Parker struggled with injuries for most of his four seasons in Milwaukee which was even more unfortunate considering he was a 20.0 PPG scorer when healthy. Parker would bounce around the NBA for most of his final four seasons in the league and hasn’t played in a game since the 2021-22 season.

Just one pick later was Cameroonian big man out of Kansas University, Joel Embiid. Now, Embiid would struggle with injuries himself at the beginning of his career, missing his first two seasons with a foot issue. If you fast forward just a bit to now, Embiid is a perennial serious MVP contender who has won back-to-back scoring titles with the 76ers. Despite injury issues still being a slight issue for him, he is one of the best players in the game when on the court. All I know is that he and Giannis would make the Bucks one of the best dynasties in NBA history if Milwaukee had made this choice instead of Parker.

Thon Maker (2016 NBA Draft) – 10th Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Domantas Sabonis – 11th Overall Pick

The final draft mistake for the Milwaukee Bucks came back in 2016. With the 10th overall pick, the Bucks decided on Sudanese big man Thon Maker. As the 37th-ranked overall recruit in 2016, Maker was on several teams’ radars but maybe not quite as high as Milwaukee ended up taking him. He would play just two and a half seasons with the Bucks averaging just 4.5 PPG and 2.6 RPG. Maker would play just three more seasons after that with the Pistons and Cavaliers before retiring from the NBA in 2021.

Just one selection after Maker, the Orlando Magic, selected Domantas Sabonis out of Gonzaga. Of course, Sabonis would be traded to the Thunder for his rookie season and to the Pacers after that. Sabonis would eventually become one of the more versatile big men in basketball and a three-time NBA All-Star. With the Pacers, he became a 20.0 PPG and 12.0 RPG player who also dished out between 5.0 and 6.0 APG. In 2022-23, Sabonis averaged 19.1 PPG while winning the rebounding title with 12.3 RPG. On top of his career year, Sabonis also helped the Kings reach their first playoffs in 17 years, breaking the longest drought in the NBA.

How Many Championships Could The Bucks Have Won With These Picks?

It is safe to say that, just as has been the case in every other draft mistake piece we have done, the Bucks missed out on some serious talent. Early on in their existence, they certainly missed out on a couple of NBA championships. I believe that having Archibald and Robertson as their starting backcourt, along with Kareem, would have been more than enough to lead them to one or two NBA championships in the 70s. As for missing out on Bernard King, Jack Sikma, and Robert Parish, all three would have been massive upgrades for their roster but not enough to win them an NBA title at the time with how their team was constructed.

The times that Milwaukee would have been delivering championships is over the last decade. First, the selection of either Kawhi Leonard or Klay Thompson in 2011 would have been the beginning of their championship build. Giannis Antetokounmpo would have most likely still been selected middle of the pack two years later as well. Now with Kawhi and Giannis, they have a serious core. The addition of Embiid hinges on if they still receive a top-three pick in 2014 but let’s just say they do. What team in 2022-23 is stopping a big three of Kawhi, Giannis, and Embiid when healthy? 

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