Bucks Have Surprising Secret Weapon Already on Roster

The Milwaukee Bucks are going to be in need of more offensive contributors next season, with Damian Lillard likely to miss most, if not all, of the year.

Regardless of whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to be traded, the Bucks need players who can put the ball in the basket. They thought Kyle Kuzma was going to help them with that, but that trade was absolutely horrendous.

The Bucks didn't play many young players last season while they were in the middle of the season. That might change next season, and one player is a prime candidate to get more playing time.

Tyler Smith is someone that the Bucks like a lot. He was their second-round pick in 2024 and didn't get to see a ton of playing time because Doc Rivers typically doesn't like playing rookies.

Next season, the Bucks might not have a lot of choice. They have a need for guys who can score with size, and Smith definitely has the size to play the small forward position.

Smith is 6'9 and has shown the ability to be able to score at times at the NBA level. While playing for Overtime Elite in the G-League, he scored 15.7 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and had 1.3 blocks per game.

Smith also shot 47.5 percent from the field, which would certainly help Milwaukee. They don't have enough guys who can shoot the ball at a high clip.

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The Bucks might have to lessen Kuzma's role with the team in order to give Smith some more playing time, but that might not be a bad thing. Without Lillard in the lineup, the Bucks are contending for a title next season anyway.

Perhaps it makes sense for them to give Smith 15 minutes per game off the bench next season to see what they have. Perhaps he ends up turning into a guy who can help them in the future.

In his first year in the NBA, Smith played in just 23 games. In those 23 games, he averaged 2.9 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 48 percent shooting from the field.

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