Breaking down Milwaukee’s latest group of workout invitees, headlined by Hunter Sallis
We’re back with another Bucks draft workout round-up! Things are really starting to heat up in the draft world. Wednesday (May 28th) marked the decision deadline for players who declared while maintaining their NCAA eligibility. A large number of guys chose to drop out of the draft and stay in college, including Darrion Williams and John Blackwell, two previous Bucks workout participants. Now, with the draft pool thinning out, teams can start to zero in on their favorite prospects. Milwaukee brought in four more players since our last round-up, a couple of whom could be in consideration at the 47th pick for Milwaukee.
Here’s a breakdown of each new invitee:
Hunter Sallis
Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Height: 6’5”
Position: Guard
School: Wake Forest
Year: Senior
Projected draft range: Second round
Realistic Bucks target? Yes
Sallis is one of the main draft targets gaining traction amongst Bucks faithful. He’s the type of backup guard this team could really use—one who gets downhill and makes some plays off the bounce. The 22-year-old is a dynamic finisher with the burst to attack the rim whenever he wants and the touch and bounce to convert once he gets there. His quickness and wiggle aid him on the defensive end, where he competes on the ball and disrupts decently well (1.2 SPG as a senior). He also has a nice mid-range pullup game.
The issue with Sallis is that he’s stuck between the two backcourt positions. He doesn’t shoot well enough to be a two guard, and he isn’t a good enough passer to run the point. Outside of his junior campaign, where he shot 40.5%, Sallis never hit above 28% from three in college. His senior year assist and turnover numbers (2.8 APG, 2.4 TPG) show how he’s more effective as a scorer than a playmaker at this point. The two-time All-ACC honoree will need to seriously improve in at least one of those two areas, or else finding a role for him in the NBA could be a headache.
TJ Bamba
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Height: 6’5”
Position: Wing
School: Oregon
Year: Graduate
Projected draft range: Undrafted
Realistic Bucks target? Yes
One of Milwaukee’s biggest problems last year was their lack of consistent perimeter defense. If they’re looking to revive their past defensive identity, TJ Bamba could help. The New York native was one of the best on-ball defenders in the Big Ten this past season, earning all-defensive honors in the conference. When his Oregon Ducks took on the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison, he held potential Bucks draft target John Tonje to an uncharacteristically inefficient 9/20 from the field (2/10 from three). Bamba is NBA-ready physically and should be a capable wing stopper at the next level.
Bamba’s offense is trickier to evaluate than his defense. For his college career, he shot 35.4% from three and 75.8% from the line. As a junior, he hit 37.2% from deep on 4.8 attempts per game. However, as a graduate at Oregon, his three-point success rate fell to a pretty abysmal 25.3% on 2.8 attempts. Even if this past year was a fluke, he’s still far from a real threat from outside. If it wasn’t a fluke… yikes. Bamba doesn’t have anything notable to offer as a scorer inside the arc, so it’s imperative that he works on his shot. If he can pair a reliable jumper with his defense and connective passing, he’ll be a real NBA role player. It’s tough to call that outcome probable, though.
Coleman Hawkins
Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Height: 6’9”
Position: Power forward
School: Kansas State
Year: Graduate
Projected draft range: Second round or undrafted
Realistic Bucks target? Yes
Stretch fours are always a hot commodity in the modern NBA. Coleman Hawkins plays that role (editor’s note: he does not, however, play saxophone). While he was just a 31.5% three-point shooter for his college career, his touch and confidence suggest he should be a positive floor spacer at the next level. Defensively, Hawkins moves well and can switch onto a few positions reliably while also racking up stocks (1.8 SPG and 1.3 BPG as a graduate). The Sacramento native is also a nice post passer—he averaged 4.3 assists this past season with Kansas State.
Last year, Hawkins received lots of buzz as a potential second-round pick, but he ultimately returned to school to collect a big NIL bag. He hasn’t seen the same type of attention this time around, but he has the skillset and pedigree to rise into the second round once again, especially now that so many guys dropped out of the draft.
AJ Hoggard
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Height: 6’3”
Position: Point guard
School: Vanderbilt
Year: Graduate
Projected draft range: Undrafted
Realistic Bucks target? Yes
AJ Hoggard is a floor general. The former Michigan State Spartan developed into a super steady decision maker and pick-and-roll passer during his five years in college. He pressures the rim at a high level, a hallmark of a good playmaker. Hoggard is also a steadfast on-ball defender with a frame built for guarding with physicality. He sounds like the ideal backup point guard for the Bucks, but he’s probably not. Why? He can’t score.
During his five-year college career, Hoggard averaged double-digits twice and 8.8 PPG overall, but his efficiency was frankly gross: 39.6% from the field and 29.2% from three. As a graduate at Vanderbilt, he shot 35.2% from the field. In a league where most guards are threats to fill up the scoring column, Hoggard just wouldn’t fit in. So while he certainly has pro qualities, he’s probably best off playing in the G League until he can find the bottom of the net with some consistency.
None of these four players were selected in ESPN’s latest mock draft, although it was made prior to Wednesday’s decision deadline. Hunter Sallis was the 45th pick in Bleacher Report’s newest mock. Sallis is ranked 66th on ESPN’s top 100 big board. Bamba, Hawkins, and Hoggard are not ranked.
Stay on the lookout for more Bucks draft analysis!