NBA

          Draft preview: Bucks could choose to draft talent, not position

          After being taken by the Hawks with the 15th pick in the draft, Kelly Oubre Jr. is on his way to Washington D.C. to join the Wizards. Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle/TNS via Getty Images

          The Milwaukee Bucks may not have a lottery pick, but they certainly feel as if they will have a top-three pick this coming season.

          Jabari Parker, last season’s No. 2 overall pick, will be returning from a season-ending knee injury and will rejoin a promising core that features Giannis Antetokounmpo, Michael Carter-Williams and restricted free agent Khris Middleton. And the Bucks are eager to see what 19-year-old Damien Inglis, a 6-foot-8 prospect taken at the top of the second round last year, can do after missing all of last season due to injury.

          The Bucks are loaded with emerging young talent, and Jason Kidd is looking for more veterans to help now rather than another teen prospect to develop. Most of all, Kidd can really use an athletic presence inside the paint, preferably a rim protector and glass cleaner.

          It’s unlikely the Bucks will find that at No. 17. Another need is more shooting. And because they have young talent already, the Bucks are in position to take best-available talent regardless of need. Or they can take a promising prospect and stash that player for a year or two.

          ESPN’s Chad Ford has the Bucks tabbing Kansas’ Kelly Oubre in his latest mock draftInsider. Oubre is considered to be a prospect with lottery-type potential but one that requires patience. The 6-foot-7 freshman is explosive, can shoot and the 19-year-old has a 7-2 wingspan.

          Ford has the Bucks passing up on the likes of Duke's Tyus Jones, Arkansas' Bobby Portis, Notre Dame's Jerian Grant and Georgia State's R.J. Hunter.

          The Bucks have young point guards in Carter-Williams and Tyler Ennis, but Jones and Grant could be tempting.

          The 6-foot-11 Portis would give the Bucks more size inside and a guy who could potentially be ready to play a role off the bench. And the 6-6 Hunter has deep range and would add to the Bucks’ extraordinary length with his 6-foot-11 wingspan.