Over the last three years, the Milwaukee Bucks have taken five players in the NBA Draft: Tyler Smith, AJ Johnson, Chris Livingston, Bogoljub Markovic, and Andre Jackson Jr. Only one of them is on the roster to open the 2025-26 NBA season, and it's Jackson, who had three years of college experience. Combined, the rest of them had just one year total before coming to the Bucks.
All this shows is that drafting project players when contending for a title is tough to do because there isn't a clear-cut pathway to develop them, which leads to some tough calls down the line. Painfully, the Bucks have cut, traded, or stashed the other four.
Bucks' roster moves don't favor the project players
AJ Johnson, 20, a first round pick in 2024, didn't even last a full season with the team after being sent to the Wizards in the Kyle Kuzma deal. Tyler Smith, 20, and Chris Livingston, just turned 22, were both cut to clear room for more experienced players in Andre Jackson Jr. and Amir Coffey. Bogoljub Markovic, 20, is being stashed overseas for the time being.
For a team like the Milwaukee Bucks that has few draft picks, these selections with the long-term in mind have hurt. What they've needed is experienced players who are ready to hit the hardwood from day one in town, as it can allow them to add a low cost contributor for years to come. Instead, outside of Jackson, their plan has largely revolved around the future.
It's particularly frustrating because the team has had options.
In 2024, with a rare first round pick, fans were vehemently beating the drum for either Ryan Dunn or Terrance Shannon Jr., two experienced college players who could have helped this team. The Bucks went with Johnson, while Phoenix and Minnesota got two impactful players. Bucks fans wanted Tyrese Proctor, who looked solid in the preseason, this year, but took Markovic, who isn't in town at all.
Jackson being the lone draft pick remaining from the last three years signals one thing: the Bucks cannot afford to gamble on long-term projects. It would make sense if they weren't in win-now mode as rumors about Giannis Antetokounmpo's future swirl, but that isn't the case. Every year, especially this one, feels like they are out to prove they can compete. This brutal draft record isn't helping.
The Milwaukee Bucks cut their losses and built the roster how they wanted. They didn't want to spend the time to develop their projects. It should serve as a lesson next time they have a draft pick.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.