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Monday, May 28, 2012

Milwaukee Bucks: 5 Guys They Should Look at in the Draft - Bleacher Report

Milwaukee Bucks will be looking for a miracle slotted at the No. 12 spot heading into the NBA lottery. The Bucks have a 0.7 percent chance of snagging a top 3 pick and in related news my leprechaun broke his leg after his unicorn tripped on a rainbow.

Assuming Milwaukee stays where they're at, the Bucks will still have plenty of good options in the upper half of the first round.

1. Tyler Zeller, UNC

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Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

The popular pick for the Milwaukee Bucks in most mock drafts has been Tyler Zeller, and with good reason. That trade that sent Andrew Bogut to the Golden State Warriors left a big need for size.

One of Zeller's bigger strengths has been his consistency, and it won him the ACC Player of the Year accolade. Averaging 16.5 points and 10.1 rebounds during the 2011 season, the seven-footer runs the floor exceptionally well and will help fill the void in the middle.

2. Perry Jones, Baylor

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Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

With their two best players at the guard positions, the Bucks will be after size in the draft. The 6'11" Perry Jones provides that at forward, a position that still remains uncertain with the free agency of Ersan Ilyasova.

Jones has a ridiculous amount of upside, but he's had trouble showcasing it consistently. After a tremendous freshman year, the production during his sophomore season was borderline lackluster with 14 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

Jones has been projected going just inside the top 10 in most mock drafts. If Milwaukee can secure some luck from the ping pong balls, it'll be interesting to see whether they deem him worthy.

3. Jared Sullinger, OSU

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Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Continuing with the size theme, Ohio State's Jared Sullinger is a completely viable option. Sullinger possibly has the best footwork of the many big men available, and would provide the Bucks with some much needed low-post scoring and rebounding. The weakness here is that Sullinger obviously doesn't possess a lot of speed or athleticism, which could hamper his success in the up and down style.

Still, at 6'9" and averaging almost 18 points and nine rebounds a game, he can't be ignored if he's still on the board.

4. Austin Rivers, Duke

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Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Duke's 6'4" freshman guard Austin Rivers is a wild card heading into this draft. The combo guard was a standout in his one year at Duke, but many NBA teams aren't sure what to do with him. With all of this, Rivers could quite possibly be on the board in the middle of the first round. 

If the Bucks decide to stray away from size, they could potentially snag one of the better guards in the draft class. He's an isolation whiz and could thrive in the Bucks' offensive scheme.

The reasons that the Bucks would consider him are the lack of depth at guard and the mumblings about Brandon Jennings not returning after his contract expires. If he could develop into a point guard, Rivers would be a sneaky good pick and well worth a risk.

5. Meyers Leonard, Illinois

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Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The NBA draft is a lottery right? Why not take a gamble in the form of 7'1" Illinois center Meyers Leonard?

Dubbed as one of this year's biggest boom or bust guys, Leonard would provide the size that the Bucks need, but would be a bigger project than they were hoping for.

However, the upside is there and the increase in production from his freshman to sophomore year is encouraging. Some analysts are making comparisons to Robin Lopez if he pans out, but that could take some time. If drafted the Bucks might need him to produce before he's ready.

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