Heading into the 2011 NBA Draft, Bucks general manager John Hammond was focused on improving the Bucks' woeful offense.
Having already obtained the shooting guard he desired in Stephen Jackson, via a three-team trade with Sacramento and Charlotte, Hammond took a pair of forwards Thursday with his two draft picks.
Due to an NBA rule preventing the trading of draft picks on draft day, Hammond used the Bucks' first-round pick – the 10th overall – on BYU guard Jimmer Fredette. When the trade became official after the first round was complete, the rights to Fredette were shipped to Sacramento, in exchange for Tennessee forward Tobias Harris, who was taken at No. 19.
Harris is a 6-8 forward who averaged 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 34 games with the Volunteers, who finished the season 19-15 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Only a freshman last year, Harris was named second-team All-SEC by the league's coaches and earned a spot on the All-Freshman team.
"He has the chance to be really versatile," head coach Scott Skiles said. "You like him immediately the moment you meet him, and you feel by watching him whatever his ceiling is going to be, he's going to reach it."
In the second round, Hammond used the 40th overall pick on University of Wisconsin forward Jon Leuer.
The 6-10 power forward led the Badgers with 18.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season as Wisconsin finished 25-9 and advanced to the Sweet 16. He finished his four-year career 12th in school history with 1,376 career points and earned honorable mention to the Associated Press All-American team.
After working out for the Bucks earlier this week, director of scouting Billy McKinney said it would be a "no-brainer" to select Leuer if he was available at No. 40. When the Bucks' second round slot came up and Leuer was still on the board, the team made the choice.
"He moves around really well," Skiles said. "You watch him play and see that he can shoot the ball. He has a sneaky little post-up game. He's well-schooled, well-coached, he comes from a disciplined program. You know he's going to work. Those are all good attributes."
The team hopes to introduce both players during a press conference Friday afternoon at the Bradley Center.
Butler to the Bulls: Marquette's Jimmy Butler went to the Chicago Bulls with the final pick of the first round.
Butler averaged 15.7 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Golden Eagles, who advanced to the Sweet 16. He was later named MVP of the Portsmouth Invitational, a leading camp for NBA Draft prospects, and impressed many teams during his pre-draft workout tour.
