Monday Morning Media Roundup: June 24th, 2019

If this was a normal Monday after an NBA Draft, you’d find me here throwing article after article at you from every obscure outlet under the Sun talking about the newest Buck. But this is no normal post-draft Monday as Milwaukee chose to ship their #30 overall pick alongside Tony Snell out of town for eventual cap space (aka Jon Leuer).

With no new guy to talk about, all we’ve really got is a smattering of articles that revolve around the undrafted free agents GM Jon Horst is bringing to Las Vegas for Summer League. It’s a unique group featuring one-trick ponies, undersized exploders, and a little bit of friendly nepotism tossed in for good measure.

Let’s roundup!

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The nation is about to learn what Wofford foes know: Fletcher Magee is a handful (The State) & Meet Wofford’s version of Steph Curry, and he’s about to make NCAA three-point history (USA Today)

We’ll begin with Fletcher Magee, not only because wow what a name on that fella, and because he stands out among his peers thanks to just how prolific he was from three during his college career.

Wofford is not a powerhouse program and so it isn’t a surprise that a player like Magee, with an unorthodox addiction to off-balance three-pointers, could thrive as the go-to guy. Magee saw what Steph Curry was doing at the NBA, scoffed, and said “watch this” on his way to setting the NCAA record for career threes made. It only makes sense that his per game attempts grew year-over-year from 5.9 his freshman year to an insane 10.8 attempts from deep his senior season. On top of the sheer volume was a respectable 43.5% make rate (though he logged a career-low 41.9% last year).

I can’t seem to find much else on him other than “shoots a lot of threes”, and it seems he struggled at times when opponents had the talent on-hand to singularly focus on shutting him down, but consider me intrigued to see how he does in a Summer League environment.

UALR’s Tucker gets a shot with Bucks (Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette) & Rayjon Tucker Scouting Report (Basketball Society)

Rayjon Tucker is the second name you should get to know. The junior from the University of Arkansas - Little Rock jumps off the screen foremost thanks to his ability to, well, jump off the screen. His game appears to revolve around physicality on both ends of the floor though he only really broke through last season with Little Rock (with averages of 20.3 pts on .491/.411/.777 shooting, 6.7 rebs, and 1.8 asts). He turns the ball over more than he creates assists and can switch off often defensively thus explaining why it is he may have gone undrafted.

Prior to his junior year he filled a smaller role with Florida Gulf Coast and was set to test the grad transfer market before deciding to chance it in the NBA Draft. Summer League competition is probably a step above the likes of Sun Belt/A-Sun play, so we should quickly get a good idea whether Tucker can sink or swim beyond the college game.

How Daulton Hommes became a surprise Div. II draft prospect (ESPN+ - Subscription Required)

This next player is as out-of-left-field as it gets in the UDFA world: Everyone, meet Daulton Hommes, the nation’s top Division II basketball player.

Hommes’s path to Milwaukee has included two ACL tears, a walk-on season with Western Washington, a few years with Point Loma Nazarene, and plenty of hype stories gleaned working with current NBA players’ trainers (including Gordon Hayward, Kyle Kuzma, and Kawhi Leonard). Mix lots of athleticism, a high shooting mark, and the occasional 10 second training clip and you get a guy generating buzz at age 22 in DII.

Maybe Daulton will stick, maybe not, but right now I won’t get my hopes up too highly; as the article states, “His skill package is built for a workout setting...”.

Luke Maye knows people think he won’t make the NBA, but plans to prove them wrong (The News & Observer)

It’s not weird, per se, that Luke Maye only just finished college — plenty of guys play 10-12 years at their programs before eligibility runs out — but I never would have guessed his path would bring him to the Bucks organization.

His story is heavy on proving the doubters wrong while at North Carolina, and there is something to be said for a guy who went from walk-on to core piece on one of the country’s top college programs. The three ball dropped off for him during his senior season, but he did convert at a 43.1% rate as a junior. Overall, it feels like his approach shades more traditionally than needed by a team like the Bucks, but exposure in Summer League can go a long way in finding that next step overseas.

Will Matt Farrell get an NBA contract? His recent play gives hope (Ashbury Park Press)

A point guard with a little G-League seasoning? Sounds like just the ticket to help pace the Bucks through Summer League.

Farrell is coming off his first year spent with the Delaware Blue Coats (the Philadelphia 76ers G-League affiliate) and looking to find a more permanent home in a parent NBA organization. He played alongside current Buck Bonzie Colson at Notre Dame and averaged 16.3 points (.410/.377/.816), 5.5 assists, and 2.4 rebounds. The time spent with Delaware allowed him to better feature his ability as a play-maker as he’d end the season in the top-15 in assist numbers.

As with all these guys, the way forward for Farrell may not go further than training camp at the outside, but on a SL roster without many true facilitators he’ll have opportunities to help others (and so himself) flash.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo set to play for the Bucks’ summer league team (ClutchPoints)

I won’t get too high on my horse for this one as I am a fan of the Antetokounmpos and don’t mind giving Giannis’s brothers some shine. However, let’s all collectively hope there are no expectations about Thansis’s addition to the Summer League team beyond providing a platform to increase his profile (though how much more notoriety a Greek League All-Star with Panathinaikos can gain from SL is an open question). Yay light nepotism!

The Social Media Section

So. Much. Working. Out.

The Summer of the Bledsoes continues

Please please please please let this be true

We’ve got so much Marques-Nellie content coming down the pipe

Can’t tell if this raises or lowers my interest in Hommes stock

Hopefully this isn’t the latest iteration of “Dirk could’ve been a Buck”

Wait, this isn’t how they already had it set up in Chicago?

Wonder what he means by all this...

You know, my cousin’s step-sister’s daughter’s schoolmate is named Giannis!

Just in time to rectify the Rashad Vaughn pick!

Pau already beginning his career in Spanish public office

Brandon will forever be part of the fabric of this franchise

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Well, we’re on to the next milestone in the NBA off-season: Free agency! Negotiations can “officially” begin at 5 PM (central) on Sunday, June 30th and then deals signed on July 6th. The near and far future of Milwaukee will have a lot riding on how the chaos of free agency drives up or lowers the value of Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, Brook Lopez, George Hill, and Nikola Mirotic.

The waters are already a bit muddled on the market with rumors of a slight discount for Middleton, a massive offer sheet inevitably incoming for Brogdon, and machinations to bring Brook Lopez back to the Lakers. All we can do is batten down the hatches and hang on tight until the clock starts ticking. For my money I’m guessing the only piece that won’t be nailed down by the end of the first day of FA will be Brogdon, and at that point its a matter of wait and see who extends a lucrative offer sheet to the RFA.

Let the rumor mill go into overdrive, don’t try to lose too much sleep over hypotheticals, and as ever...

Happy Monday!