The Bucks have put themselves into their current roster predicaments through multiple bad decisions, including passing on Ajay Mitchell in the 2024 Draft. Mitchell is now considered one of the favorites to win Sixth Man of the Year this season and was in the running for that award, as well as Most Improved Player, last season. Ironically, he recently revealed on the "Old Man and the Three" podcast that he expected to be drafted by the Bucks with the 23rd pick that year, but Milwaukee instead took another player with the same name...AJ Johnson.
The Bucks messed up their pick badly
Milwaukee had a track record of messing up draft picks during the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, but Johnson was perhaps the worst example. He was traded less than a year after being a first-round pick, along with beloved franchise legend Khris Middleton, for Kyle Kuzma. That trade still haunts Bucks fans two years after it was made.
Obviously, the Bucks were keen at the time to find a young guard loaded with potential, which is how Johnson was billed. But the signs should have been there early that Mitchell would pan out better in the NBA. Mitchell had an illustrious three-year college career at UC Santa Barbara, including averages of 20 points, four rebounds, and four assists per game in his junior season. Johnson, on the other hand, only played one season in Australia's NBL, where he put up 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game.
The Bucks leaned too hard into theoretical potential, rather than the reality of what the two players had already produced. Johnson has never found his footing in the NBA, as he's now bounced around to five different teams in just two short years since being drafted. The Bucks shouldn't regret moving on from him so quickly, but they should regret ever drafting him in the first place.
Ajay Mitchell is on track for a successful NBA career
Meanwhile. Mitchell is coming off a breakout season where he averaged 14 points per game coming off the bench. He was one of the Thunder's best shot creators last season amidst a slew of injuries. The Bucks would love to have a player with Mitchell's combination of poise, craftiness, and youth on their roster, but they missed out.
By his own account, Mitchell would have relished the opportunity to play in Milwaukee, both for the benefit of being selected higher and for his family connections in Wisconsin. But alas, Mitchell instead ended up on an instant title team and is now a potential contributor to a long-term contender in Oklahoma City. And the Bucks are left with nothing but regret and a bad contract in Kuzma.
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