Is Drew Timme a good fit with the Milwaukee Bucks?
Former Gonzaga men's basketball star Drew Timme did not hear his name called during the 2023 NBA Draft, but his NBA hopes are still alive.
As an undrafted free agent, Timme signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Milwaukee Bucks several hours after the last pick was made from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The deal Timme signed is a minimum contract that can be converted to a two-way deal prior to the start of the season.
That means Timme, a three-time All-American, two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year and Gonzaga's all-time leading scorer, will have all summer to prove his old-school style of play still has a place in today's NBA.
Even as one of college basketball's best low-post scorers, a prolific passer for his size and a proven winner, Timme's current skill set as a back-to-the-basket power forward doesn't quite fit the mold of the modern NBA big man who can stretch the floor with 3-point shooting and can guard multiple positions.
But that doesn't mean the 6-foot-10 mustachioed Texan can't carve out a meaningful role for himself at the next level. He showed off some range during workouts at the NBA Draft Combine in May, and despite concerns over his athleticism, he posted the fastest lane agility time among participating centers. His wingspan and standing reach were also in the top 10 for the position.
Luckily for Timme, there's arguably no better veteran to learn from than Brook Lopez, who just so happens to share the same locker room now with the Bucks.
As a back-to-the-basket big coming into the NBA in 2009, Lopez's combination of strength, footwork and soft touch in the post was highly coveted at a time when that style of play was still in fashion. After averaging nearly 20 points per game as a 24-year-old, he was named an all-star in 2012-13 in which he didn't attempt a single 3-pointer in the regular season.
A few years later, however, the game changed — and so did Lopez. As teams began valuing floor spacing from each position, traditional centers and forwards who had dominated with their physicality and low-post scoring suddenly had no place in the fast-paced, run-and-gun state of the NBA. But instead of fading into irrelevancy, Lopez adapted.
After eight seasons in the league, Lopez had made three career 3-pointers. Since 2017, he's knocked down 785, shooting 34.9% from beyond the arc. That's quite the transformation for someone who was seen as one of the best low-post scorers in the league, and it's what makes the 34-year-old such a valuable asset on offense this late into his career.
There's a similar career path in store for Timme. Having a veteran around who has been able to keep up with the NBA's evolution and has similar abilities would be the perfect mentor for Timme as a rookie.
For now, all that's guaranteed for Timme is a shot at showing out in the NBA Summer League, which runs from July 7-17 in Las Vegas. Against younger rookies and second-year pros, his basketball IQ and feel for the game is going to help him find a rhythm and establish chemistry with his new teammates. He'll surely get some looks in the post, but also some touches at the top of the break where he can either set up a pick-and-roll with a guard or even beat his man off the dribble, an area of his game he developed over his last few years at Gonzaga.
His game won't change overnight, but as long as Timme puts in the work and shows continual growth over the summer with the Bucks, he has a chance to earn himself a two-way contract by the time September rolls around.
