Brayden Burries is wasting no time making the Bucks look smart.
Yes, it’s only NBA Summer League, but Milwaukee’s No. 10 overall pick has come out swinging, and the early returns are loud. Through two games, Burries has piled up 44 points while knocking down half of his 3-pointers, a start that has already put him in eye-catching territory for a one-and-done point guard out of Arizona.
The numbers tell the story cleanly: 44 points, six assists, zero turnovers, 15-for-31 from the field and 5-for-10 from deep. That kind of efficiency, paired with the clean ball security, is exactly the sort of opening stretch that gets people talking.
His latest game may have been even more convincing. Burries finished with 26 points, the game high, and added three steals, two blocks and four made 3s, also a game high. It was the kind of all-around performance that showed more than just scoring touch; he looked in control and made noise on the defensive end, too.
Burries has also made his own expectations clear. Asked about his rookie-year goals, he said, "I wanna try to be an all star my first year, I wanna be in the rising stars game, I wanna be a 1st team all rookie, rookie of the year...and I wanna be in the playoffs too and make a deep run"
That kind of ambition fits the profile of a player who was always expected to be in the mix after the top four of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson. There was even a case to be made for Burries going as high as No. 5, which made his slide to No. 10 look like a steal for Milwaukee on paper.
So far, it’s looking like one on the floor, too.
In Other News...
Marc Stein Just Dropped A Mavs Relevant Twist In The West
The Bucks have been linked to another swing on the margins of the roster market, with Marc Stein reporting Milwaukee has joined the Clippers and Hawks in showing sign-and-trade interest in Nuggets restricted free agent Peyton Watson. It is the kind of name that fits the Bucks broader summer posture, especially with cap space available if they decide to move salary and reshape the wing rotation around a younger, longer defender.
Milwaukees interest comes with the usual sign-and-trade friction, and the price point matters here because Watson is believed to be looking for a starting salary near his asking range. Stein also noted that the reaction around Gary Trent Jr.s reported Bucks deal was intense across the league, which only adds to the sense that Milwaukee is still very much in the middle of the market, trying to balance immediate help with the cost of getting it done. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Fans May Be Rethinking The Nate Ament Draft Debate
Nate Aments first run through Summer League has given Bucks fans at least a little reason to feel better about how the draft board shook out. Taken 13th overall by Milwaukee, Ament has looked like a player who still needs time, but his early production has been steadier than the kind of rough opening that can start a debate before the season even begins.
Dailyn Swain, who went 15th to the Bulls, has also been working through the usual growing pains of July basketball, which is part of what makes the comparison interesting for Milwaukee. Both players are still in the earliest stage of their pro careers, and the gap between draft-night opinions and summer results is already giving fans a fresh way to judge the Bucks' decision, even if the real answer is still months away. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Roster Shakeup Just Put Milwaukee At A Franchise Crossroads
Milwaukees offseason jolt has been hard to miss, and the ripple effects of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade are already reaching beyond the headline itself. The Bucks and Heat had been circling this possibility for months, with Miamis interest dating back to the February trade deadline, so the move landed less like a surprise and more like the latest step in a long-running chase that finally broke through.
For the Bucks, the bigger question now is what comes next in the wake of a deal that was widely anticipated by the players involved and still qualifies as one of the leagues major summer swings. The roster has changed, the balance of power in the East has shifted, and Milwaukee is suddenly staring at a franchise-defining stretch where every follow-up move matters just as much as the one that set all of this in motion. [Read more 🡒]