Can Bucks Rookie Brayden Burries Make the All-Rookie First Team?

I might be higher on Brayden Burries than most heading into his rookie season. When I look at this rookie class and try to predict my All-Rookie First Team, four names immediately come to mind: Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, and Caleb Wilson. It doesn’t hurt that those are the top four picks in the draft. For the fifth spot, I’m going to take Burries.

Maybe that ends up looking like a bold prediction a few months from now, but when you look at his game and, more importantly, the situation he is walking into with the Milwaukee Bucks, I don't think it's that crazy at all. Burries will have a chance to play on a rebuilding team that just traded away their best player in franchise history. If a rookie gets an opportunity, that's half the battle.

The Bucks Should Let Burries Play

This isn't the old Bucks team where a rookie might have to sit behind established veterans while Milwaukee worries about winning 50-plus games and preparing for a deep playoff run. Things have changed overnight, as we all know.

After trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks need to figure out what this next version of their team looks like. That means finding out what they have in their young players, especially Burries and Nate Ament.

Burries was the No. 10 pick for a reason. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists during his lone season at Arizona while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three. I really like the efficiency and his ability to shoot from deep.

Burries doesn’t need insane usage or gaudy numbers; he just needs to be a reliable scorer and someone who can help create opportunities for his teammates.

He's also already built like an NBA guard at 6-foot-4 and around 215 pounds. That's another thing I think gets overlooked when we're talking about rookies making an immediate impact. He shouldn't be physically overwhelmed playing against NBA players. The Bucks need to give him minutes immediately, let him learn on the fly, make mistakes, and, more importantly, learn from them. The Bucks have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

He Doesn't Need To Be A Star Right Away

This is where I think people sometimes make All-Rookie predictions more complicated than they need to be. I'm not predicting Burries to average 20 points per game with super-high efficiency. He doesn't have to in order to make an impact. If he can average around 15-17 points per game and knock down threes, and defend well, he will be in the conversation. There are going to be ugly games. He's going to have nights where the shot isn't falling. He's going to make rookie mistakes as everyone does, but he will also have really great nights.

Milwaukee should be looking at the bigger picture this season. If Burries is struggling through a 2-for-9 night in November, don't immediately cut his minutes. Keep playing him. The Bucks need to find out if this guy can eventually become one of the faces of their next core.

My Early All-Rookie First Team

Right now, my five would be Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, Caleb Wilson, and Brayden Burries. Obviously, a lot can change over a season, but for now that’s who I got.

Peterson and Dybantsa are going to get a ton of attention. Boozer has been one of the biggest names in this class for years. Wilson is another player I expect to make an immediate impact for the Bulls. Burries doesn't have quite the same hype surrounding him. I actually think that makes him more interesting.

His new teammate Jaime Jaquez was the 18th pick in the 2023 NBA draft, and he was not expected to make the First Team All-Rookie, and he did. If a player lands in the right situation and gets a bigger role than expected, that can be very valuable.

The talent is there. The opportunity should be there. And he's already made it clear that First Team All-Rookie is one of his goals.

I Think Burries Gets There

If I had to make the prediction today, I'm putting Burries on my First Team. I don't think he's going to be the best rookie in this class; this draft is too deep and talented for that.

The biggest thing I want to see from Milwaukee is patience. Don't treat Burries like a veteran role player where one bad week gets him pushed to the end of the rotation.

The Bucks aren't just trying to figure out how many games they can win this season. They're trying to figure out who is going to matter two, three, and four years from now. Burries has a chance to be one of those players.

If Milwaukee gives him the opportunity I expect them to, I think he has a legitimate shot at finishing his first NBA season as an All-Rookie First Team selection.

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