Jon Horst has been known for taking raw, high upside prospects when it comes to the NBA Draft, but maybe it's time for the Milwaukee Bucks to look to the other end of the spectrum. This year, they have Yaxel Lendeborg staring right at them as an NBA-ready talent that can fill a big void on their roster and break their crushing draft curse.
Yaxel Lendeborg fits the present and future for the Bucks
Lendeborg may come in as a 24-year-old rookie, but that doesn't mean he can't grow into a key piece for the Bucks moving forward.
In 2016, Malcolm Brogdon was selected in the second round as a four-year college player, and he went on to win Rookie of the Year and have a stellar NBA career. Not that Lendeborg will win the award this year, with how stacked the draft class is, but the Bucks have taken risks on unproven but high-potential players and missed on multiple occasions.
The 6-foot-9 wing can come in and fill the hole at the wing positions that the Bucks have so desperately needed for multiple seasons now. Lendeborg can do it all; he fills the stat sheet, and if the Bucks want to go smaller, they can and play him alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in the frontcourt, with his strong 240-pound frame and excellent defensive versatility.
This season, he fought through injury to help the Michigan Wolverines to a national title. On the way, he averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, with a steal and block per game on good shooting splits of .515/.372/.824.
Starting as an older rookie may put some people off from taking him, but there is still plenty of untapped potential in his game on both ends of the floor that will only benefit Milwaukee.
Time for the Bucks to change draft strategy?
If anything has taught us in the NBA in recent seasons, it's that depth matters, and with the second apron forever looming, finding talented rookies that can help while on their rookie contract is integral.
OKC has displayed just that, as did Indiana last season, with talented rosters of young players, but being able to run deep into their bench for success. Ousmane Dieng has been a brilliant addition for the Bucks, and he struggled to get on the court for the Thunder; that is the way the strength in depth Milwaukee should be aiming towards.
Granted, Milwaukee doesn't have the draft capital of those two teams moving forward. You can even look to the 2025 draft, where the Bucks only had the 47th overall pick and still went for Serbian prospect Bogoljub Markovic. Despite the young bigs' brilliant season overseas, it's another player the Bucks drafted who they'll have to wait a few years before seeing what they can bring to the table.
AJ Johnson was another speculative pick in 2024 that the Bucks moved on from halfway through the season. Markovic could be a player who grows into a solid rotation option thanks to that year overseas, but it may be time for the Bucks to head down a different route when it comes to drafting.
Of players currently on the roster, Giannis and Andre Jackson Jr. are the only ones the Bucks drafted themselves. It may be time for them to go for NBA-ready prospects that can come in and make an impact straight away, with the ability to grow with the team moving forward. Yaxel Lendeborg fits that mold.
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