What to watch during Milwaukee Bucks 2025 Summer League action
From old friends to new faces, here are the biggest Las Vegas Bucks storylines
The Milwaukee Bucks 2025 Summer League slate kicks off tonight at 8:30 pm Central time, so if you haven’t already familiarized yourself with their roster now is a great time to do so.
For even more Summer League discourse, be sure to check out the latest Gyro Step podcast episode on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube. The SL discussion starts about 13 minutes in on video and a little later than that on audio feeds.
The Rookie(s)!
How could we start anywhere besides with Bogoljub Marković, Milwaukee’s 19-year-old rookie from Mega Basket. Bogi (as he likes to be called) is a very fun offensive player with some stank to him who can shoot it (38.8% last season). I was expecting a lumbering stuff when I saw the combination of his draft stock, three-point percentage, and measurables (6’11” height) but immediately locked in on his tape when the first highlight was a driving behind-the-back pass.
For real analysis, seeing how Markovic defends on the perimeter and around the basket will probably be the most important part of his Summer League stint, but it’s okay to just have fun and enjoy the full Bogi offensive experience.
Also I need to mention Mark Sears, who Milwaukee signed to a two-way fresh off his All-American season at Alabama. Sears is vertically challenged but a dynamic offensive player, and it’ll be great to see how he holds up in a taller (but not NBA sized) league.
Tyler Smith on the Perimeter
Bucks 2024 NBA Draft pick Tyler Smith has wowed with some impressive workout clips (yes, it’s that time of year) but has a clear road block keeping him from minutes in Milwaukee’s front court. Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominant presence, the retention of Bobby Portis (and Jericho Sims) and addition of Myles Turner leaves scant minutes at either the 4 or 5 for Smith. But can he play the three?
That’s the big question I have for Tyler Smith, who I comped to Michael Porter Jr. (on court only!) coming out of the G League Ignite. I think MPJ is basically a huge 3 despite being as tall as a 4 or 5, and that Smith is likely more of a 3/4 than a 4/5 as well. The big question for him is guarding on the perimeter.
I’m going to be watching Bucks rotations like a hawk this Summer League to see if Smith gets any opportunity to play with two bigs (like Markovic and Malik Williams, a legit 7-foot center) or gets tasked with guarding wing players. Smith is athletic and a good worker so I’m optimistic he can hang out there, but we just need to see the reps. Hopefully that happens this week.
Other things to look for with Smith are his shot continuing to fall (43.3% in Milwaukee on low volume; 38% with the Herd) and how he can leverage that athleticism in terms of getting to the rim and on the glass, where he recorded some impressive grown man rebounds last season.
Make or Break
Andre Jackson Jr. and Chris Livingston have a lot on the line in Las Vegas. Jackson Jr. had the guarantee date on his contract pushed back in exchange for a small piece of the full amount guaranteed this week, and Livingston was outright waived as part of the cap-clearing to open up space for Myles Turner.
Livingston’s deal was non-guaranteed and he cleared waivers, so he could sign back with the team into an open roster spot now that Turner is signed with no real change to his cap hit or outlook. To put it simply: either player could be a Buck next season, or neither of them could be on the roster.
I don’t know that their Summer League performance will totally dictate their futures, but it would sure help to put on an impressive showcase in Vegas. With all 30 NBA teams in attendance, even if it’s not in Milwaukee there are job opportunities that open up for top performers every year.
Jackson Jr. struggled last summer league and comes in knowing his future is uncertain, while Livingston excelled before yet another year of having no real opportunity to prove it out at the NBA level. We’ll see how both players react to the pressure of having no guarantee they’ll be Bucks when the real season rolls around.
Intriguing Free Agents
It’s always fun to see which players fill out a Summer League roster around draftees, other young rostered players and the two-way guys (Pete Nance, Jamaree Bouyea, and Sears currently). The first one to catch my eye this year was Keita Bates-Diop, a player who’s been on my value free agent lists in summers past.
KDB played 6 NBA seasons before spending last season in China, and built a reputation as a strong defender. He seemed to break through on the offensive end in the 2022-23 season with the Spurs, shooting 39% from 3, but followed that up with a 30.4% season before departing for China. Confirming he can still defend and seeing how the shot falls will be key, as the 6’8” Bates-Diop is the kind of small forward-sized player the Bucks still need.
John Butler Jr. is the other free agent on the roster who intrigued me. Butler Jr. is kind of similar to Tyler Smith, as despite his height (a legit 7 footer) he’s more of a big shooter than a true center. Still, when you combine that size with a legit shooting stroke (35.5% in the G League last season) at 22 years old you can see why the Bucks both traded for his G League rights and decided to bring him to Summer League. It wouldn’t surprise me if Butler Jr. got an Exhibit 10 contract, giving him a bonus to come to training camp and then report to the Wisconsin Herd again after being waived by the big league club.
Those are the main things I’ll be looking for as I catch Milwaukee’s Summer League action — drop a comment below on what you want to see!
As an MSU fan, I can't wait to see Frankie Fidler in a Bucks jersey. The Nuggets are about to get fiddled