Old faces have found their way back to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Adrian Griffin was hired as Milwaukee’s new head coach, returning to the team where his coaching career started when he served as one of the deputies of coach Scott Skiles in the 2008-10 season.
Reports had it that Milwaukee is also signing its former head coach Terry Stotts as an assistant to Griffin.
With familiar faces set to man Milwaukee’s bench, will the Bucks also bring back some of their former players for a much-needed reinforcement as they try to redeem themselves from a disappointing campaign this past season?
Teams can start to lure available players when the 2023 NBA free agency starts on June 30th. The Bucks are looking to fortify their roster, and here are some ex-Milwaukee players that they can snag from the free-agent market.
Torrey Craig
Craig played for the Bucks in the 2020-21 season, but he was not given ample time to really show his potential.
In the 18 games that he played for the Bucks, Craig only averaged 11.2 minutes per game. With the limited playing time, Craig could only produce 2.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists a game.
Craig’s upside is his defensive prowess which will make him a good fit under the tutelage of defensive-minded Griffin.
The past season, Craig played 79 games for the Phoenix Suns and averaged 7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks a game.
Christian Wood
Wood was signed by the Philadelphia Sixers as an undrafted player in 2015. He struggled in the early part of his career and bounced around the NBA, and even had stints overseas before he found his way to Milwaukee.
The Bucks signed Wood in August 2018 but waived him in March 2019.
From the Bucks, Wood went to New Orleans, then to the Detroit Pistons. From the Pistons, Wood moved to the Houston Rockets, where he started showing his potential.
The versatile Wood was superb in his debut with the Rockets on December 26, 2020, when he piled up 31 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and a block in Houston’s 128-126 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Wood also had a stint with Milwaukee’s G-League affiliate Wisconsin Herd where he averaged 29.3 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 28 games.
Wood played 67 games for the Dallas Mavericks the past season and averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks.
Having Wood as a primary backup for Giannis Antetokounmpo would be a dreaded sight for opposing teams.
Donte DiVincenzo
DiVincenzo has an existing two-year deal with the Golden State Warriors and has a player option for next season.
The Bucks are hard-pressed to bring in players who can consistently knock down those outside shots, and DiVincenzo can provide just that.
In the 72 games that played with the Warriors in the past season, DiVincenzo averaged 9.4 points a game built on a 39 percent clip from the three-point area and 52 percent shooting from the two-point field.
DiVincenzo played for Milwaukee in the 2020-21 season and was good for 10.4 points a game on 37 percent shooting from the deep and 42 percent from the field.
DiVincenzo helped the Bucks reach the playoffs in 2021 but went down with a torn ligament in his left ankle in Game 1 of Milwaukee’s playoffs series with the Miami Heat.
Donte's tenure with the Bucks ended when he was included in a four-team deal wherein the Bucks got Serge Ibaka. That deal didn’t work out well for the Bucks, as an unhappy Ibaka asked to be moved out after playing just 35 games for Milwaukee.
DiVincenzo was the Bucks’ 17th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Milwaukee fans would certainly love to see him in Bucks uniform again in case he opts out in the final year of his contract with Golden State.
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