The Milwaukee Bucks will be under a lot of scrutiny after what transpired during the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night. Milwaukee had a golden opportunity to fix its roster with the 23rd pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
There were many players available who could have helped the Milwaukee Bucks now and in the distant future. General manager Jon Horst decided to make a bold move and draft A.J. Johnson 23rd overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Johnson was predicted to be a second-round selection in the 2024 NBA Draft and he is only 19 years old. A.J. Johnson is going to be a massive project for the Milwaukee Bucks and he may not help them out right away.
Yahoo Sports Writer Dan Devine Lists the Milwaukee Bucks As First-Round NBA Draft Losers On Wednesday Night
Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports listed his winners and losers from the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night. During the first round, there were a few surprises and one of them was the Milwaukee Bucks selection. Not only did Devine list them as draft losers, but he also listed them as “TENTATIVE LOSER.”
Dan Devine said about the Bucks being a tentative loser:
“From the start of the year under Adrian Griffin through its unsatisfying conclusion under Doc Rivers, the Bucks spent all of last season cycling through options on the perimeter, searching for playable wings who could defend, shoot and move the ball. And yet, when they went on the clock at No. 23 — with options like Ryan Dunn, Dillon Jones, Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman, and Kansas wings Johnny Furphy and Kevin McCullar Jr. still on the board — they opted for AJ Johnson, a 19-year-old, 6-foot-5 combo guard who played in Australia’s NBL last season, averaging 2.9 points per game while shooting 37% from the field.
Now, it’s possible that Johnson’s able to harness the eye-test-validating physical tools that he flashed in Australia to blossom into an absolute steal in a few years’ time …
… but a roster replete with aging veterans needs win-now help — guys who can step in and contribute alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Co. immediately. Whether Johnson’s ready for that remains an open, and very large, question.”
Dan Devine is 100% correct that there were several players better than A.J. Johnson who were still on the board for the Milwaukee Bucks to draft. He didn’t even mention center Kyle Filipowski from Duke or point guard Tyler Kolek from the Marquette Golden Eagles.
The point is, this is going to be a really bad selection for the Milwaukee Bucks. If Milwaukee was a rebuilding basketball team and they decided to take a swing on a raw 19-year-old A.J. Johnson prospect, that would be one story. It is another story for a team that is trying to win now and compete with the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference and they did not get any better last night.
