We’re back with another Milwaukee Bucks draft workout round-up! Since the first edition, the team has brought in an intriguing trio of seniors, following the trend set by their first batch. They’re clearly interested in experience, suggesting they still intend to compete next year despite all the Giannis trade rumors. As a reminder, the Bucks own the 47th pick in the upcoming draft. They won’t be bringing in a future star with that selection, but real value and talent can still be found in the second round.
Here’s a breakdown of each of Milwaukee’s three latest muses:
Mark Sears
NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament East Regional-Bringham Young at Alabama Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Height: 6’0”
Position: Point guard
School: Alabama
Year: Graduate
Projected draft range: Second round or undrafted
Realistic Bucks target? Yes
Sears was a flat-out college superstar. In his senior and graduate seasons, he led Alabama on a Final Four run and an Elite Eight run while becoming a two-time consensus All-American. He wasn’t just one of the best guards in the country, he was one of the best players. Sears does everything you could want from an NBA-level backup point guard. He’s a pristine playmaker and pick-and-roll director who can be unwaveringly trusted to run an offense. He’s not a big time finisher, but he applies rim pressure, and he also shoots the ball at a very high level. Everything about him screams professional—so what’s the holdup?
At the combine, Sears measured in at about 5’11” barefoot with a 6’2” wingspan. He’s tiny, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for guys of that size to succeed in the league. It’s also worth noting that Sears is old, as he spent a full five years in school. Further, his efficiency on the court dropped significantly from his first All-American season to his second one. In 2023-24, he shot 50.8% from the field and 43.6% from three. In 2024-25, those numbers fell to 40.3% and 34.5%. During the 2024 draft cycle, Sears received some first round buzz. It was believed that he had a real pathway to becoming an All-Star, and he often drew comparisons to Jalen Brunson. A year later, though, his stock has fallen significantly.
Still, there is good reason to bet on Sears. The lefty is confident in his ability to overcome his size differences at the next level. “I have that dawg in me… I’m not gonna back down easy,” he told Van Fayaz at the combine when asked about how he can succeed as a small guard. He’s also very polished—teams won’t have to worry about his ability to make the jump to the NBA for any non-size-related reason. If the Bucks are looking for pro-ready talent, Sears could be their guy.
Max Shulga
NCAA Basketball: Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Championship-George Mason vs VCU Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Height: 6’4”
Position: Guard
School: VCU
Year: Graduate
Projected draft range: Second round or undrafted
Realistic Bucks target? Yes
Another polished, experienced guard, Max Shulga has the dribble-pass-shoot skillset that NBA teams covet when looking for role players. The Ukraine native played a lot of point guard at VCU and is very comfortable creating for himself and others off the bounce. He’s a very smart passer—he averaged 4.0 assists to just 1.7 turnovers this past season. He’s also one of the most complete shooters in the entire class. Off the dribble, off the catch, on the move… it doesn’t matter the type of shot, Shulga’s knocking it down. He connected on 39.2% of his career three-point attempts in college.
Shulga’s flaws mainly stem from his athleticism. He’s generally grounded, he struggles with physicality, and he isn’t super speedy. He struggles to defend on-ball and could get picked on by matchup-hunting offenses. He also may have a tough time getting to his spots against NBA athletes. Ultimately, Shulga is a case study of the high feel versus athletic tools debate. Either his smarts and craft will be enough to keep him in the league, or he will fall out because he can’t hang athletically.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield
NCAA Basketball: N.C. State at Kansas Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Height: 6’10”
Position: Big
School: NC State
Year: Senior
Projected draft range: Undrafted
Realistic Bucks target? Yes
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield has had a funny basketball journey. He was a consensus five-star high school recruit who committed to Tennessee. As a freshman, he averaged just 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds. He then transferred to Louisville and spent two years there before going to NC State as a senior. Now, he’s currently in the transfer portal, but he doesn’t have any eligibility left— he’s just hoping the NCAA will pass legislation allowing guys to play for five years.
All that bouncing around can likely be attributed to the fact that he was never a true standout player in college. In his best season, his junior year at Louisville, he put up 12.9 PPG and 8.4 RPG, which are good, but not great, numbers. He’s a very traditional rim running big who can finish efficiently but doesn’t wow with his athleticism or finesse.
Huntley-Hatfield’s biggest blemish is that he’s not a pro-caliber interior defender. As a true center, he will struggle to stay on the court if he can’t wall off the paint competently. All in all, he will probably be a G League/Summer League guy to start his career. Some teams care about high school track records/rankings though, so maybe he’ll be able to land a two-way.
None of these three prospects were selected in ESPN’s latest mock draft. No Ceilings, a popular independent scouting outlet, had Max Shulga going 48th in their most recent mock. Shulga is currently ranked 90th in ESPN’s top 100 big board. Sears is 84th and Huntley-Hatfield is unranked.
Stay on the lookout for more Brew Hoop Bucks draft analysis!