As good as the Milwaukee Bucks' win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday was, they were still reminded of their crushing defeat in the 2024 NBA Draft, with both AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith playing for their opponents. Both players struggled, showing those poor draft selections and why the Bucks are in this current mess.
2024 NBA Draft still haunts the Bucks despite moving on
Johnson being selected 23rd in 2024 was a huge shock to Bucks and general NBA fans, with many draft boards having him going late second-round or even undrafted. It was a huge risk for Milwaukee to take such a young prospect as they didn't have time to develop him, and they ended up swiftly trading him away with Khris Middleton to Washington in the Kyle Kuzma deal.
Now on his third team in two seasons, Johnson struggled on Tuesday, scoring eight points in 16 minutes, reinforcing the Bucks' decision to move out but also haunting their initial selection. Smith was taken in the second round, and many fans backed the selection, but the team waived him in the offseason as they made moves. Now, on a two-way deal in Dallas, he is fighting to get back onto a full contract.
Granted, the 2024 draft class hasn't quite caught the eye, and to many, it felt like a draft full of complementary role players rather than stars. Just one pick after Johnson is Kyshawn George, who has taken a real step forward this year with the Wizards. Experienced college players in Terrence Shannon Jr. and Ryan Dunn were not too far behind in the draft and would fit the Bucks much better, as they still look light at the wing positions.
Bucks have fared better with two-way players than draft picks
The Bucks have really thrived with their two-way player pickups, with Pete Nance signing a multi-year deal and joining Ryan Rollins and AJ Green as players who have fought their way into being key rotation pieces for Milwaukee in the NBA. Cormac Ryan is also a two-way piece emerging lately.
Wednesday night's defeat to the Houston Rockets saw Ousmane Dieng, Pete Nance, and Cormac Ryan all hitting career highs in points, giving some hope moving forward that the Bucks have some nice young core players to build with.
What the Bucks do now with their 2026 draft pick is a huge question. Giannis Antetokounmpo's future will always be in question, and that could lead the Bucks to trade that pick to bring in an All-Star-caliber player, or draft a prospect they hope can grow into a star. Player development and scouting have not been great for a long time, which puts pressure on them to nail this pick.
Maybe it was good for the Bucks to admit they got their 2024 draft picks wrong, move the players, wash their hands, and look forward. At the same time, it was a huge whiff and is part of the reason the Bucks are in this current spot, soon to be watching the postseason from their sofa.