According to ESPN's Jeremy Woo, the Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams rumored to be eyeing Karim Lopez, a 6-foot-9 draft prospect who played in Australia last season. Whatever Lopez is or isn't, he is a match for the recent draft preferences of Bucks general manager Jon Horst.Â
In 2025, Milwaukee used its only pick, No. 47 overall, on Serbian forward Bogolijub Markovic. A year earlier, Horst drafted AJ Johnson, who like Lopez was a product of Australia's National Basketball League. For better or worse, it wouldn't be all that surprising if Lopez became the third raw international prospect in the last three Bucks drafts.Â
Lopez is Bucks' type of draft pick
Drafting Lopez where the Bucks sit with the 10th pick would probably be a reach. However, they could acquire additional draft capital in a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. That would allow the Bucks to draft whoever they want at No. 10, then come back for Lopez later. The Mexico native ranks 13th on ESPN's big board.
19 years old as of April, Lopez is, like Markovic and Johnson, still a somewhat raw prospect. While he has intriguing size and positional flexibility at the forward spots, there are questions about his shooting stroke and his shot creation.Â
For the New Zealand Breakers last season, his second with the team, Lopez averaged 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and two assists per game. He generated 2.2 steals-plus-blocks and shooting splits of 50.2/32.6/71.7. Although his game craves refinement, Lopez is reasonably skilled for his position.Â
Whether or not he makes sense for the Bucks depends almost entirely on whether Giannis stays and the related question of whether they acquire any extra picks in this year's draft. Passing on other prospects at No. 10 would feel like a missed opportunity. With multiple picks to work with, however, Lopez could be a viable selection at the backend of the lottery or later.Â
Horst has whiffed on international prospects so far
Thus far, Horst has struck out with his international picks. The jury is still out on Markovic. Coming off an MVP season overseas in the Adriatic league, he is the subject of hopeful excitement.Â
On the other hand, Johnson was a bust. RJ Hampton, Horst's 2020 first-rounder and a former New Zealand Breaker himself, went the same way. Â
Lopez doesn't fit the Bucks' shot creation needs. It would arguably be a redundant pick with Pete Nance, also a 6-foot-9 forward, recently signed to a two-year contract. Ousmane Dieng is a strong candidate to return in restricted free agency.Â
When push comes to shove, however, Horst might not be able to help himself. Lopez checks all the boxes as a young developmental player with experience in a pro league overseas.
Add us as a preferred source on Google