MILWAUKEE -- Winning is a mentality. At least that's what Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick John Henson believes. And if Henson is right, the entire culture of the Bucks franchise could have changed with the additions made in Thursday night's draft.
Henson, a successful three-year college player at the University of North Carolina, made it to the Elite 8 in back-to-back seasons. In his sophomore and junior years combined, Henson's Tar Heels had a 61-14 record and played in countless nationally televised, high-pressure games.
But not even that impressive resumé can compare to the Bucks second-round pick, Doron Lamb. As a two-year player at the University of Kentucky, Lamb made it to the Final Four as a freshman and then won the National Championship this past season alongside Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and the rest of the high-powered Wildcats.
"I've been a winner since I was young," Lamb said at his Friday introductory press conference. "Going to Oak Hill Academy (for two years in high school) and winning a lot of games there, then going to Kentucky for Coach Cal (Calipari), a great coach, a great motivator and playing with great players.
"It's great playing with great players and knowing how to win."
Lamb wasn't just a bystander at Kentucky, either. While Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist got all the headlines, it was Lamb who was second on the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game. Lamb proved just how dangerous of a shooter he was, becoming Kentucky's top three-point shooter in school history, making 47.5 percent of his long-range attempts.
Lamb has the skillset of a player who should have been selected much sooner than midway through the second round. Lamb even admitted Friday that he was "surprised" to not get drafted earlier. In the Bucks' draft room, general manager John Hammond and his staff truly did not expect Lamb to still be available by the start of the second round. But, in what was widely considered one of the deepest draft classes in nearly a decade, there were some unexpected players still around in the late-20s -- such as Baylor's Perry Jones III and fellow Kentucky guard Marquis Teague.
That led to Lamb's fall down to No. 42, allowing the Bucks to get another proven winner.
It was 28 spots earlier in the draft that Henson had his own unexpected fall down the draft board. Henson was a top target of the Sacramento Kings at No. 5, but that changed when Thomas Robinson was unexpectedly still available. Henson was then on the radar of the Detroit Pistons at No. 9, but Andre Drummond surprisingly fell to them.
This turned out to be great news for the Bucks, who had so much interest in Henson that there was chatter about them moving up several picks to get him. Once Milwaukee moved back from No. 12 to 14 the day before the draft in order to grab Samuel Dalembert from the Houston Rockets, it appeared to eliminate any possibility of Henson becoming a Buck.
However, it worked out better than planned, and he was there for the taking at No. 14. Henson now brings his elite defensive ability -- named top defensive player in the country by FOXSports.com -- and winning ways to Milwaukee.
"In high school, I won," Henson said. "In college, that's why I went to North Carolina, to win and win championships. That's something that you can't take for granted because winning is a mentality. If you don't have a winning mentality, I don't think you'll ever be able to fight back after that loss. I think it was good that I went to a school like that."
For Bucks coach Scott Skiles, who is trying to get the team into the playoffs following back-to-back seasons below .500, bringing in winners like Henson and Lamb seems to be just what he needs.
"It's very difficult to change habits," Skiles said. "All of us in this room, when's the last time you changed a habit that you had? When you have guys that have a habit of winning, it tends to have an effect on your team, as opposed to a habit of losing.
"These guys are accustomed to going out on a nightly basis and playing on a big stage and winning big games. That's always appealing."
Henson will be added to a deep group of big men on Milwaukee's roster, which already featured Drew Gooden, Ekpe Udoh, Larry Sanders and the newly-acquired Dalembert. Ersan Ilyasova, an unrestricted free agent, would be on that list if he re-signs with the Bucks.
Lamb will initially be a reserve shooting guard, but many within the organization strongly believe that he'll eventually be a combo guard who's also able to handle some point guard responsibilities.
Wherever Henson and Lamb fit into Skiles' rotation, the Bucks added two players who simply know how to win.
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