2024 NBA Draft: Breaking Down Milwaukee Bucks Draft Class

The Milwaukee Bucks had two draft picks in this past draft and added some very young talent to their roster. How will they fit the organization?

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks are trying to get back to the finals after winning the championship in 2021 led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak is one of the top players in the NBA and with key players in Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton built around him, they are hoping to stay healthy as they look to make a run in the 2025 playoffs. This year they drafted two young enticing prospects.

Let’s dive into each selection they made and the summary of their draft.

No. 23: AJ Johnson

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

With their first-round pick, the Bucks elected to swing for the fences and select a high-upside pick in AJ Johnson who played in the NBL this past season. The 6-foot-5 combo guard didn’t really put up impressive numbers this season but he showed a lot of promising flashes.

Johnson is quite athletic and can finish above the rim and showed the ability to finish in traffic. Although he’s a bit inefficient inside the arc he does show a lot of promise as a scorer. The combo guard is a good playmaker who has the vision and creativity to serve as a lead guard at the next level. Although the offensive flashes are enticing he’s not quite NBA-ready and lacks a lot of polish.

The next step for Johnson will likely be in the G League as he's not ready to be productive on a team hoping to contend for a championship but with a couple of years of proper development he could be a key piece to a Bucks team that lacks a lot of true young talent.

No. 33: Tyler Smith

With their early second-round pick the Bucks selected Tyler Smith out of the G League Ignite. That selection signaled the Bucks electing to continue to stay young by adding a promising young prospect. Smith is a power forward that had an unique route to the NBA.

He started out in OTE then after that he was on the road to joining Team Ignite. Smith showcased elite shooting ability at 6-foot-10 and adds a ton of value as a floor spacer. He’s a smooth lefty that shows some enticing scoring flashes.

If Smith gets run off the line then he’s capable of taking it off the dribble and converting on a dribble pull-up or slashing all the way to the rim. He’s a versatile shooter for a forward and could be a solid rotation player in the NBA at some point. The next step is becoming a more valuable defender as he severely struggles to be a positive defender.

Draft Summary

The Bucks clearly made an emphasis on adding young talent with a lot of potential to their roster. The Bucks were one of the oldest teams in the NBA this past season and they will be bringing all of their core players back this upcoming season so they are only going to continue to get older.

Adding young talent could extend their timeline as contenders. Guys like Johnson and Smith could be ready to produce by their third or fourth year which is when a lot of their core players will be nearing retirement. This was a solid draft out of the Bucks as they did a good job of prioritizing their future while also not altering their current team looking to contend.

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