With the recently announced trade involving the Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Bobcats, the Bucks now hold the No. 19 selection in the 2011 NBA Draft and their draft targets will obviously change after moving down from No. 10. Yet it’s rumored that their target could be KU’s Markieff Morris at the new spot.
As Chad Ford reports, “Milwaukee covets Kansas’ Markieff Morris at No. 19, but he may not be available, the sources said.” It’s that simple statement that reveals both the team’s longing to help fill the defensive interior while also speaking to Morris’ perceived draft slot. That fits well with the predictions of other mocks, which have the talented Morris twin around the same position — whether to the Bobcats, previous holder of the No. 19 slots or another team around that position.
Markieff has a developing offensive game, but he’s a solid rebounder and defensive presence for a team that has Andrew Bogut in the middle but little else. The team has Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Ersan Ilyasova at power forward, but there’s still a need for dependable help down low at the 4 and 5 and Markieff would represent just that. It’s no guarantee that he will be available, but other bigs are climbing draft boards supposedly, so that could knock Morris down to the Bucks in their new slot. Or at least, that’s what they’re hoping for.