A familiar Wisconsin name headlines Milwaukee’s current list of draft workout participants
Happy draft season, Bucks fans! The pre-draft process for NBA teams is well underway. The G League Elite Camp is complete, as is the draft combine. Most teams are starting to bring in prospects for workouts, including the Bucks, who have brought in four players so far as confirmed by HoopsHype and Sportrac.
Milwaukee doesn’t have a first-round pick in the 2025 draft, so this time isn’t as exciting or important for them as it is for teams picking in the lottery (can’t believe Cooper Flagg is going to be a Maverick). However, they will be selecting 47th overall in the second round. The pick could be valuable in a trade, but it could also be used to find a contributor if the Bucks draft smartly. Ryan Rollins was the 44th pick in 2022. Jericho Sims was the 58th pick in 2021. Stars and high-level starters rarely come out of the second round, but many teams find rotation-caliber players in the depths of draft classes. For that reason, we must do our due diligence in analyzing potential draftees for the Bucks. Today, we’ll break down the four players the team has worked out so far.
Darrion Williams
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Height: 6’6”
Position: Forward
School: Texas Tech
Year: Junior
Projected draft range: Second round or undrafted (currently in transfer portal)
Realistic Bucks target? Yes
Williams is the only projected draft pick Milwaukee has worked out so far. ESPN had him going 45th overall in their most recent mock. You may recognize his name from this year’s March Madness tournament, as he pulled off some late-game heroics in an overtime thriller versus Arkansas. Williams started 97 out of 100 games played, averaged 11.4 points, and made two all-conference teams during his three-year career. As a junior, he averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.
His usage rate progressively increased through each of his college seasons, jumping from 17.1% as a sophomore to 27.0% as a junior. Van Fayaz asked Williams at the combine how playing multiple types of roles collegiately helped prepare him for the jump to the next level: “I think just.. being able to fit any role that I’m gonna need to fit,” Williams said. “There’s no ego, just trying to help the team. Whatever I have to do.”
Williams is best known for his willingness to do the dirty work on the court. He defends and rebounds hard and uses his strong frame to his advantage to finish at the rim. The Las Vegas native has brains and brawn, as he’s a heady passer and decision maker who can make some plays for others off the bounce. The skill that will determine his NBA value is his three-point shot. He hit 37.9% of his career three-point tries, but connected on just 34.0% as a junior on 4.1 attempts per game. Finding consistency from outside will be the key for him to find a foothold in the league.
John Blackwell
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Height: 6’4”
Position: Guard
School: Wisconsin
Year: Sophomore
Projected draft range: Undrafted
Realistic Bucks target? Yes
This should be a familiar name for Wisconsin-native readers. John Blackwell was one of the stars of a fantastic 2024-25 campaign for the Badgers, averaging 15.8 points in a conference-leading 37 games played. The sophomore guard is testing draft waters but is likely to return to Wisconsin for his junior season.
Blackwell is a crafty and confident scorer who projects to be a microwave guy off the bench in the NBA. He was often the lead ball handler for Wisconsin, but would likely be more of a two-guard at the next level due to his score-first nature. Blackwell can get buckets at all three levels. He has the wiggle and handle to carve out looks in the mid-range and at the rim. Like Darrion Williams, he’ll need to find consistency from deep to really stick as a pro. He shot 45.5% from three as a freshman in a small role, but that rate dropped to 32.2% as a sophomore as his volume increased significantly. Blackwell also must improve his decision-making— he averaged 2.1 turnovers to just 2.2 assists last season.
Samson Johnson
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Height: 6’10”
Position: Big
School: Connecticut
Year: Senior
Projected draft range: Undrafted
Realistic Bucks target? Yes
Johnson comes from a winning background— he was a key bench player during UConn’s back-to-back title runs in 2023 and 2024. As a senior in 2024–25, he became a full-time starter and had his best season to date. The Togo native is a classic energy big man who finishes efficiently and protects the rim. He shot 72.8% from the field for his college career. Johnson is springy, and he has good touch, making him a real rim-running threat. The question marks for him start with his size and frame. He’s 6’10” and on the thin side, putting him behind the curve amongst NBA-caliber bigs. Johnson grabbed just 2.1 defensive rebounds per game last season, a testament to his lack of physical advantages. Considering he’s already 23 years old, the chances for him to add more muscle or hit a growth spurt are slim.
Gabe Dorsey
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Height: 6’6”
Position: Wing
School: William & Mary
Year: Senior
Projected draft range: Undrafted
Realistic Bucks target? Yes
Gabe Dorsey is a natural-born shooter. During his four years in school, he hit 39.8% of his threes on 6.6 attempts per game. As a senior, he shot a sizzling 44.8% from beyond the arc on his way to making an all-conference team. Dorsey has deep range and can hit all types of triples. He models his game after Klay Thompson, and the future Hall of Famer’s influence can be seen in the way he moves off the ball and comfortably lets it fly from anywhere. When defenses try to take away his jumper, Dorsey can put the ball on the deck and hit middies and floaters. He also makes some sharp cuts. Overall, though, his game is pretty one-dimensional. As a senior, he averaged 3.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and only attempted 2.2 shots inside the arc per game. Dorsey’s shooting is getting him in the door, but he will need to find another way to contribute in order to stick.
Keep an eye out for more reports like this as workouts continue to be reported!