Milwaukee Bucks: Ranking top 5 moves of Jon Horst’s tenure

5. Selecting Donte DiVincenzo in the 2018 NBA Draft

The selection of guard Donte DiVincenzo stands as Horst’s biggest addition through the draft to date.

At the time, it was Horst’s first full run through overseeing a draft process as GM as he was appointed to the position six days before the 2017 NBA Draft where he wound up selecting D.J. Wilson with the 17th overall pick and traded for the rights to SMU product, Sterling Brown, late in the second round.

Now, armed with the 17th overall pick in the first round for the second straight year, Horst found a player he found worthy of adding to the Bucks’ incomplete core at the time in DiVincenzo.

It was a pick that wasn’t without some controversy (if you could call it that) as there was a draft night trade in place with the Atlanta Hawks that was ultimately scrapped because of the DiVincenzo pick leaking before it was officially announced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

But the ultimate takeaway was just how DiVincenzo won over Horst and co. throughout the pre-draft process, including a group workout and sitdown interview in Milwaukee as Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix shed light on in a piece earlier this year:

"“For years, Bucks GM Jon Horst tracked DiVincenzo. He admired DiVincenzo’s decision to play in the draft combine, a choice surefire first round picks rarely make. He recalled inviting DiVincenzo to a group workout before the draft. Several likely first-rounders, including Grayson Allen and Jerome Robinson, participated. DiVincenzo was battling an injury. Horst recalls DiVincenzo’s desperately trying to get into the workout anyway. DiVincenzo’s sitdown with Horst and Budenholzer went so well, Horst said, that both left the room saying the same thing: This is our guy.”"

Those visions that Horst had in DiVincenzo certainly bore out on the court during his sophomore season where he carved out a role as the Bucks’ do-it-all, spark plug off the bench this year. And he will certainly be primed for an even bigger role within the Bucks’ foundation, much to the delight of Horst and Bucks fans everywhere.