National Basketball Association

Milwaukee Bucks History: Top 10 Small Forwards In Franchise History

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:57 a.m. ET

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The Milwaukee Bucks have had an interesting record with wings over the years, but who are the 10 best small forwards in franchise history?

Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks have had a diverse mix of talents to suit up for the team at the three spot over the years.

Having looked at the top 10 point guards and shooting guards to have suited up for the Bucks over the last two weeks, this week it’s the turn of Milwaukee’s small forwards to be put under the microscope.

In the team’s history, perhaps no position has seen a more eclectic mix of characters, skill-sets and abilities.

Bucks small forwards range from some of the most distinguished and impactful names in franchise history, to recognizable faces who impressed in short stays with the team.

With a mixture of elite scorers, first overall picks, sharpshooters and versatile all-rounders, Bucks fans have had the privilege of seeing incredibly entertaining small forward play for much of the club’s time in the NBA.

Weighing up production, consistency, longevity, impact and achievements as Bucks, I’ve put together a list of the top 10 small forwards in franchise history.

Let’s get down to it!

10. Richard Jefferson

If Richard Jefferson’s stay had extended longer than one season there’s a very good chance that he would have ranked much higher on this list, but as it is, as short as Jefferson’s stay was in Milwaukee, his numbers were impressive.

In the time since Jefferson left Milwaukee, he has gone on to be a key component of contending Spurs teams and most recently a surprising role player on Cleveland’s championship winning group, but this Bucks season was the only one of his post Nets years when the former Arizona Wildcat looked anywhere close to his best.

Far from an elite year for the Bucks thanks to injury, 2008-09 saw Richard Jefferson carry the Bucks in the absence of Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut for significant stretches of the season.

Jefferson averaged 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists, on 43.9 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from deep, and played in all 82 games. In the following summer he was traded to San Antonio.

9. Blue Edwards

A 21st overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft, Blue Edwards put together a very solid NBA career. Perhaps most notably that included a two-year spell with a Bucks team that was stuck in a kind of purgatory under Mike Dunleavy Sr.

In 1992-93, Edwards was a driving force for the Bucks in terms of scoring, matching Frank Brickowski‘s 16.9 points per game to finish the campaign in a tie for the team’s leading scorer.

Edwards followed that up with another good season in 1993-94 during Vin Baker‘s rookie campaign, but would be traded at the conclusion of that season to the Boston Celtics.

Edwards also played for the Jazz, Heat and Grizzlies before finishing up his career with a stint in Europe. In his time as a Buck he averaged 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists, on 49.7 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from deep, across 145 games.

8. Dale Ellis

In an illustrious and lengthy career, Dale Ellis established himself as one of the very best three-point marksmen in the NBA. Although he was another who didn’t play for Milwaukee long-term, his time in the Cream City proved to be no exception.

Ellis played the best part of two seasons as a Buck, with a season-and-a-half of play coming near the tail end of his prime at the start of the 90s, and a further half season arriving in his final year in the NBA.

Ellis’ primary spell with the Bucks came right towards the end of the good times as such, with his only full season marking the start of Milwaukee’s eight year post-season drought. Still, Ellis played well and the responsibility can’t be placed at his feet.

Best known for his time with the Seattle SuperSonics and Dallas Mavericks, Ellis’ stint with the Bucks shouldn’t be glossed over. The Georgia native averaged 15 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists as a Buck, while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from deep.

7. Tim Thomas

Tim Thomas has had a quote from former Bucks teammate Ray Allen follow him around for a long time. Allen is famously quoted as saying: “Tim Thomas could be the best player in the league”. It’s the word “could” that’s important there, and it’s a “could” that has haunted Bucks fans for many years.

Having been drafted as a seventh overall pick in 1997, when the Bucks traded for Thomas it was believed that he could be the addition to tip their promising young core over the edge. As it turned out, Thomas found a way to be effective, but only in the capacity of a role playing backup.

If Thomas’ potential had been realized, the Bucks could have gotten the little bit extra needed to get over the line in 2001. As it was, when that team started to dissipate, it was Thomas who remained the longest.

Thomas started less than half of his 385 games played as a Buck. As a steady and productive contributor, his numbers were good, but they’ll never tell the whole story. For the Bucks, Thomas averaged 12.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists over six seasons with the team, making 44.2 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from deep.

6. Desmond Mason

Desmond Mason was never set up to be a legendary Bucks figure having arrived in Milwaukee as a part of the trade that saw Ray Allen leave for Seattle, but he was a solid contributor in his time with the team.

Mason’s stay with Milwaukee may not have been lengthy, but he significantly outlasted Gary Payton who was also traded with him. Having been a solid role player in Seattle, Mason took his play to a new level as a Buck.

Mason spent two-and-a-half years in Milwaukee before being traded, and then returned for one more season later in his career. The highlight of that time came for Mason in the 2004-05 season when he averaged 17.2 points per game.

For his complete Bucks tenure, Mason averaged 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, while averaging 46.3 percent from the field.

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Whether it says more about Milwaukee’s past small forwards or the Greek Freak’s all around contribution in his time with the team so far, the fact is that Antetokounmpo is already among the best players to play the three spot in franchise history. What he can do as a point forward from that spot could move him even higher up the list in the near future.

In spite of coming in to the team in the worst season record-wise that the Bucks have ever seen, Giannis immediately showcased his versatility and clearly established himself as a foundational piece with which the Bucks could build around.

In considering Antetokounmpo’s place in the history of the team, even at this early juncture, the hope he has fostered in the fanbase and the building block he has provided the front office, holds value alongside his more tangible contributions.

Although it’s too soon to know for sure if Antetokounmpo can reach his potential, he’s delivered on it up until now and that’s already established him as an important figure in Bucks history. Through his first three years, Giannis has averaged 12.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 48.3 percent from the field.

4. Junior Bridgeman

Bridgeman’s role in Bucks history is indisputable. He was a key figure in kickstarting Milwaukee’s second spell of great success, having come across as a rookie in the deal that saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leave for the Lakers.

From there, Bridgeman was an ever-present in Milwaukee’s team, meaning it’s therefore no real surprise that the Indiana native leads the franchise in all-time appearances, having suited up for the Bucks 711 times.

An extremely versatile forward, although Bridgeman didn’t always start, he became a key component of Milwaukee’s gameplan as a sixth man. In spite of being traded to the Clippers in 1984, Bridgeman fittingly returned to finish his career as a Buck a couple of years later.

In 10 outstanding seasons, Bridgeman averaged 13.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 47.8 percent shooting.

3. Glenn Robinson

Although Sam Cassell and Ray Allen were every bit his equal in terms of importance to Milwaukee’s “Big Three” who reached the Conference Finals in 2001, it was Big Dog who set the table for that team’s success.

Drafted as the first overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, Robinson hit the ground running as a Buck and never looked back from there. Looking at his time in Milwaukee as a whole, Robinson’s consistency in terms of production regardless of the caliber of his teammates is truly impressive.

Only once in Robinson’s eight seasons as a Buck did he fail to average over 20 points per game and with steady rebounding production to go along with that, it seems fair to say that Big Dog was unlucky to have only two All-Star appearances to his name.

Robinson’s time as a Buck came to an end when he was traded to the Hawks in 2002. For the previous eight years the former Purdue Boilermaker averaged 21.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 46.3 percent shooting.

2. Bob Dandridge

Considering the caliber of players who Bob Dandridge shared the court with in his time in Milwaukee, his numbers can’t possibly do justice to just how important The Greyhound was to his team’s success.

In fact, an important part of Dandridge’s legacy comes in being the rare kind of star who was able to mesh and produce top quality performances on a winning team in spite of having to defer to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.

Aside from those superstar teammates, Dandridge was a three-time All-Star as a Buck in his own right, becoming noted for his versatility and ability to knock down the big shot whenever his number was called.

Like so many other great Bucks, Dandridge had the opportunity to return to Milwaukee to finish his career as a Buck having been a Bullet in the interim. For his nine years in Milwaukee, he averaged 18.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals while making 48.7 percent of his shots from the field.

1. Marques Johnson

Perhaps he gets a little underrated due to the fact that the team continued to be successful after he had been traded, but make no mistake about it, while the likes of Sidney Moncrief and Paul Pressey were still just finding their feet in the NBA, Johnson was carrying the Bucks among the league’s elite.

A third overall pick in 1977, who really should have been the first choice, Johnson would make four All-Star appearances as a Buck during a span where he wasn’t just an elite scorer, but a dominant rebounder and accomplished playmaker too.

Johnson was a key component as Don Nelson established his “Nellie Ball” philosophy and he was a reliable performer who could be trusted to put on big games on the big stage for the Bucks.

Considering Johnson was only 27 leaving the Bucks, it’s remarkable to think of just how much he achieved in his time with the franchise. The only Bucks small forward whose poster was on Michael Jordan‘s wall, Milwaukee’s MJ finished his time in Milwaukee with averages of 21 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 53 percent from the field in over 500 games.