Author: Monojit Mandal
The 2023 NBA draft is over, and the Milwaukee Bucks are now focused on the next step for their newly chosen players: showcasing their skills at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas next month. Although the Bucks didn’t have a first-round pick, they did extensive research and background checks to find potential impact players. Finally, they obtained two second-round picks, numbers 36 and 58, selecting Andre Jackson from UConn and Chris Livingston from Kentucky. Despite the fact that the Bucks are a championship-caliber club, the question remains: what can we expect from these two draft picks?
Due to the restrictions of the luxury tax and the salary cap, the value of the second-round draft picks has increased considerably. These choices offer an opportunity to sign potentially productive players on low-cost contracts. Andre Jackson Jr. could be a bargain for the Bucks. For starters, he’s a product of UConn, the 2023 NCAA champion team, which reflects his exposure to a winning culture. Jackson gradually developed into a productive player at UConn over the course of three seasons, earning a permanent spot as a starter. His statistics of 6.0 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steal show his versatility.
While Jackson is unlikely to get considerable playing time with the Bucks given his championship hopes, he is projected to play a key role for the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G League club, next season. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement allows NBA clubs to use three two-way contracts, which makes Jackson a strong candidate for one of them. With his agility and perfect height as a winger, he has a playmaking ability that can be enhanced by playing as the main ball handler in the G League. In addition, your defensive techniques should translate well to the professional level. Although his three-point shooting efficiency in college wasn’t exceptionally good, there’s plenty of room for development in that area.
In comparison, between the Bucks’ first two picks, Chris Livingston is an interesting prospect. Even though his only year at Kentucky didn’t provide any extraordinary achievements, it was widely considered that he entered the lottery too early. Despite this, Livingston worked hard in pre-draft training, hoping to show himself in a way that he couldn’t during his university career. However, he canceled his last sessions shortly before the draw, sparking suspicions about a promise to draw an unidentified team. If that’s true, the Bucks were the club with the last pick in the NBA draft.
The Bucks got another number 36 pick, after initially only having the number 58 pick, which means Livingston must have been impressed enough by the Bucks’ pitch to let all the other clubs ignore him until the end. However, Livingston is not in a bad situation as a result of this turn of events. He is also a strong candidate for a two-way contract, with most of his playing time projected for the G League.
Livingston is a developing player who stands out for his athletic ability and raw potential. He has a strong physique and exceptional ball-handling skills, which allows him to play as a playmaker or creator. Their defensive talents are very flexible and strong. The Wisconsin Herd will provide him with an excellent environment to hone his shot selection and gain critical in-game experience, perhaps setting Livingston up as a great player for the Bucks in the coming seasons.