Top 10 Milwaukee Bucks

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In the NBA, more than any other professional sports league, the players dictate where they play. From a legal perspective that might be good, but from a competition point of view, not so much.  That’s the way it’s been for some time now.   After winning 26 games in their initial season, the Bucks won a coin flip with the Phoenix Suns and got to select Lew Alcindor with the first pick in the NBA draft.  Two years later, the Bucks had a championship, their only one.  After four more seasons in Milwaukee, Lew Alcindor was Kareem  Abdul-Jabaar  and wanted out of Milwaukee and to go into a big city.  Ever since then, the Bucks have suffered the plight of a small market team.  Still, they’ve had some nice players.  Here’s a list of the top 10. 

10. Vin Baker:  Despite being a poor free throw shooter, Vin was a productive guy for the Bucks.  Baker spent four seasons in Milwaukee and averaged 21ppg for his last two seasons.  While making only .634 of his free throws, he did hit .494 from the field.  He was also good for 9.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists.  Baker was a three time all star as a Buck.  Baker was very durable as a Buck, playing all 82 games in his first three seasons and 78 in his final season with the Bucks.  Guys just didn’t take days off back in Vin’s day.

9. Glenn Robinson:  Glenn ‘Big Dog” Robinson had one outstanding skill, he could shoot the basketball.  Glenn had an eight year run with the Bucks and averaged 21.1 points per game.  He was consistent, scoring 20+ points per game in every season but one.  He hit .463 from the field and .812 from the line.  He also took down 6.2 rebounds per game and averaged 2.8 assists. Robinson wasn’t a defensive standout and his production went down a bit in the playoffs, but he still was good enough to get the ninth spot on this list.

8. Paul Pressey:  Paul pioneered the point forward position.  His stats reveal a well rounded game.  His stat line was 14.3/5.2/6.9.  He was also an outstanding defensive player, being named to the NBA All Defensive  team for three consecutive seasons.  Paul hit nearly .500 of his shots from the field and .745 of his shots from the line.  He’s sort of the anti- Glenn Robinson.

7. Michael Redd:  In some ways Michael Redd was a left-handed Glenn Robinson with more range.  From the 2003-04 season through the 2008-09 season Redd averaged over 20 ppg.  He maxed out at 26.7 during the 2006-07 season.  Michael was a serious three point threat, hitting .383 from behind the arc.  For his 11 years in Milwaukee, Michael averaged 20 ppg. He also averaged 4 rebounds and 2.3 assists.  Not surprisingly, Redd was a good free throw shooter, hitting .840.  I was surprised that Redd made only one all star appearance.  It seems like he should have made more.

6. Marques Johnson:  Marques was a forward with a well rounded game, averaging 21points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists.  Johnson was an all star in four of his seven seasons in Milwaukee.  He was an efficient scorer, hitting .530 from the field and .736 from the line.  His best season was 1978-79 campaign when he averaged 25.6 ppg.  Johnson appeared in 54 playoff games for the Bucks and his production was similar to that of his regular season numbers, though he shooting percentage was down just a bit.

5. Bob Dandridge:  Bob was a great third option on the Bucks championship team, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.  The Bucks drafted Dandridge in the fourth round of the 1969 draft.  He joined the team the same year Abdul-Jabaar.  The results were immediate.  Bob averaged 18.6 ppg with the Bucks.  He also contributed 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists.  Dandridge was a three time all star with the Bucks.  Dandridge shot at a .484 clip from the field and .770 from the free throw line.  His playoff production was very close to that of his regular season.  Dandridge wasn’t flashy, but his talents blended nicely with his teammates.

4. Sidney Moncrief:  Moncrief was an athletic guard who had a well rounded game, though he wasn’t a long range shooter.  Sidney excelled on defense, being named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the 1982-83 season as well as the 1983-84 campaign.  In 10 seasons with the Bucks, he averaged 18.6 ppg.  He rebounded at a clip of 5 a game and contributed 3.9 assists.  He also averaged 1.3 steals.  Moncrief was in the all star game from 1982-86.  From 1982-83 through 1985-86 he averaged over 20 points per game. 

3. Oscar Robertson:  The Big O was past his prime when he joined the Bucks, but he was just what the team needed to put the Bucks over the top.  Even in the later stages of his career, Oscar averaged 16.4 ppg, 4.9 rebounds and 7.s assists in four seasons in Milwaukee.  Robertson gets huge bonus points for helping the Bucks win their only championship.  Back in the 60s Oscar was considered  by some to be the greatest player the NBA had ever seen.  He still ranks pretty high on most lists.  Oscar was named to the All Star game twice as a Buck.

2. Giannis Antekounmpo:  The Greek Freak is an awesome player and he’s getting better.  During the 2017-18 season he averaged 26.9 ppg.  Currently he’s averaging 27 ppg.  For his career he’s averaging 18.5 and that’s clearing on the rise. He’s also averaged 8.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists.  Giannis is a three time all star, but that number will certainly grow.  Going forward, the Bucks biggest challenge will be keeping Giannis in Milwaukee.

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabaar::  Kareem was at his most dominant in his days in Milwaukee.  In six seasons he averaged 30.4 ppg.  His other numbers were pretty imposing too.  He pulled down 15.4 rebounds, racked up 4.3 assists and added 3.4 blocks.  He even added 1.2 steals.  Of course he was an all star in each season in Milwaukee.  He was the NBA’s MVP four times.  His sky hook was the most devastating shot I’ve ever seen.  I could go on and on with statistics, but Kareem was clearly the greatest Milwaukee Buck ever.