Milwaukee Bucks Looking to Make a Run at Summer League Championship

Just a little under two weeks after the conclusion of the 2018 NBA Draft, all 30 NBA teams reported to Las Vegas for the annual NBA Summer League play from July 6th-17th. Teams are given 14 rosters spot to fill with young talent to showcase their skills and hopefully make an NBA roster in the fall. The Milwaukee Bucks have brought in some great talent to show off over the next two weeks, hoping to take home a Summer League championship and ultimately prepare and define the roles we need them to play this fall.

The Bucks brought in some big-name college stars from the past few years, such as Perry Ellis who played at Kansas for four years earning the ranking of All-American, Travis Trice who played at Michigan State in college from 2011-2015 and taking them to the Final Four in his final year, DJ Wilson who was the first round draft pick for the Bucks last year who played mostly in the G-League, Sterling Brown who was the second round pick in 2017 for the Bucks and contributed on/off last season and lastly Donte DiVincenzo who was selected with the 17th pick in this years draft and 2018 Final Four MVP.

Perry Ellis had much success in his college playing days at Kansas. By his junior year, he was the starting power forward averaging almost 14 points a game, seven rebounds, and shooting at a staggering 45%. He decided to return for his senior season where he put up even bigger numbers. 17 points a game, 6 rebounds, and shooting 53% from the field while bringing Kansas to the Elite Eight of the tournament. Unfortunately, he was not selected in the 2016 draft and since has been bounced around from the G-League to overseas. Now that he has had time to mature and define his game, this summer league could be important to him since the Bucks are looking for a rim protecting power forward/center.

Looking at Travis Trice, former Michigan State point guard, he’s a little more experienced than most summer league players. He broke out his senior year season by averaging a team-high 15 points per game, five assists (197 throughout the season), and earned third-team Big Ten honors. That season he carried the Spartans all the way to the Final Four, ultimately losing to National Champions, Duke Blue Devils. Like Perry, Travis went undrafted after college. From here, he spent some time with the New York Knicks G-League team and spent time playing overseas. I believe Travis has also had much time to mature and hone in his talents as an athletic point guard. Unfortunately, the Bucks are overwhelmed with point guard help on their current roster, but he is able to showcase his talents to the other 29 teams in this summer league, hoping to sign a point guard.

Mr. DJ Wilson, who was the Bucks’ 17th pick out of Michigan in the 2017 NBA Draft, has not spent too much time on an NBA floor. DJ only played in 22 games last season, averaging only one point per game and half a rebound. HIs lackluster rookie performance was a disappointment for fans since it was hard to find him time with multiple people already at his position. Luckily, he was utilized well in the G-League. Playing in 11 games, he was putting up close to sixteen points a game, five and half rebounds, and shooting close to 50%. Even though Bucks fans weren’t able to see much of him, this summer league he hopes to prove himself and find more playing time this coming fall under new coaching of Mike Budenholzer.

Unlike DJ, Sterling Brown was able to find the court much more often than him. A second round pick in 2017 out of SMU, Brown was utilized well throughout the season as a defensive-minded guard who could provide much needed help from 3-point range. Playing in 54 games, Sterling only averaged 4 points a game. This number may seem like nothing, but he was playing limited minutes as a backup. He was typically guarding the opponent’s best shooter, so he defense was needed more than his offense. But on the offensive side of the ball, he put up 35% of his 3 point shots, which isn’t too bad. This summer league, Sterling can focus on offensive game by becoming more aggressive, utilizing his incredible athleticism, and getting to the hoop.

Lastly, the Bucks have young and hopeful star, Donte DiVincenzo. The 17th pick out of Villanova from this years draft, Donte is looking to bring the much needed spark we need off the bench. He was the Final Four MVP this past season bringing Villanova to yet another championship. The MVP was averaging 13 points off the bench for the Wildcats this season, but once into the tournament, he stepped his game up even farther. He averaged 18 points per game in the tournament and in the final game took over completely by putting up a team high 31 points to seal the championship. His upbeat attitude and is something that Bucks fans should be looking forward to. He’s also the much needed spark that the Bucks coaching staff has been looking for. Donte is shown to prove it and hopefully this summer league our coaching staff will head him the right direction.

With only a handful of games to show off their talent, these young Bucks should be looking to make a run for the Summer League Championship. Also with this time, it will allow for the players to develop as they need and have the front office determine how they will be utilized this coming season.