Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman just projected the Bucks taking Kentucky's Jayden Quaintance in his latest mock draft, and while obviously just a mock draft, it would be the most on-brand Milwaukee move imaginable: take the injury-riddled project at a position you don't even need while the guy who actually fills your biggest hole goes one pick later.
Quaintance lasted four games for Kentucky this season after trying to return from a torn ACL he suffered ten months ago. Then his body gave out, and now scouts aren't expecting to see him again this year. So the Bucks would be drafting a guy whose medicals are a complete mystery, whose development is frozen in time, and who plays a position they're already stocked at.
The Milwaukee Bucks need to draft a small forward this coming draft
Nate Ament, a stocky small forward who could address Milwaukee's most glaring positional weakness, goes right after them in Wasserman's mock. That's the Bucks' draft luck in a nutshell: the perfect fit sitting right there, and they reach for the risky project instead. We saw it when they took AJ Johnson most recently, and MarJon Beauchamp a few years before.
Quaintance is a tantalizing prospect for sure, but he's a raw four who can't score consistently and is coming off a major knee injury. A project piece who hasn't played meaningful basketball in a while is simply not what a team trying to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay needs from their lottery pick.
The ACL history is what makes this genuinely scary. Quaintance tore it, tried coming back ten months later, and his body immediately broke down again after four games. That's a red flag for any front office and should be enough to keep the Bucks away from him.
Milwaukee desperately needs a small forward who can defend wings and space the floor. Quaintance is a power forward/center who's still developing his offensive game. Even if he's perfectly healthy, he doesn't solve the problem that's keeping the Bucks up at night.
On the other hand, Ament is the exact player type they need: a versatile forward who can defend, shoot, and contribute immediately. Through 26 games, he's put up 18.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game on 30.4 minutes a night.
The Bucks don't have time for "at full strength" prayers. They need someone who can help them compete for a playoff spot next season while Giannis decides whether to re-sign or force his way out. Quaintance, even in the best-case scenario, isn't that player for at least two or three years.
If the Bucks actually make this pick, it's a white flag on the Giannis era. You don't draft a multi-year project when your franchise player's extension decision is coming this summer. You draft someone who can contribute immediately and show Giannis you're serious about winning now.