In small bursts, the Milwaukee Bucks' youth is showing legitimate potential

Understandably so, youth has not been a major point of emphasis for the Milwaukee Bucks over the last few seasons.

With a generational talent in Giannis Antetokounmpo and other veteran stars like Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, Milwaukee has consistently focused on constructing its roster with other veterans with the mindset of winning as much as possible in the present and not worrying about the future.

General Manager Jon Horst has fully bought into this approach, which is why he currently holds just two second-round picks leading up to the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline. Trades for veteran players such as Jrue Holiday, P.J. Tucker, and Jae Crowder, among others, have thinned Milwaukee's asset cabinet, leaving little room to build for the future.

This is 100 percent the approach the Bucks should be taking to maximize Giannis' prime, but after the two most recent postseason losses they've suffered, it was clear that they should bring in at least a touch of youth to get some energy, athleticism, and new blood into the mix. Both teams they lost to, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, possessed plenty of this. Milwaukee needed to combat that.

While still maintaining his mindset of bringing in win-now pieces such as Malik Beasley, who is having an incredible season, Horst found time in his busy schedule to address this need for youth this past NBA off-season. Although the younger players on the Bucks haven't been clear-cut rotation players, they've all flashed potential in some way, which is a great sign for the Milwaukee Bucks.

TyTy Washington is steadily developing in the G-League

A first-round pick in 2022, TyTy Washington didn't play much throughout his rookie season with the Houston Rockets in 2022-23. The following summer, the young point guard was included in a pair of different trades before ultimately being waived in what was a surprising move at the time. Once he hit the market, the Bucks wasted little time picking him up on a two-way contract.

Washington hasn't played a key role for the Bucks this season, but that was largely expected after the team picked up Cameron Payne in NBA free agency. Instead, the young guard has spent most of the season in the G-League with the Wisconsin Herd, where he's gotten a legitimate chance to work on his game. Thus far, he's been very impressive.

The freshly-turned 22-year-old guard has shown that he can be a jack of all trades when it comes to scoring, shooting, passing, and playing pesky defense. He's endured some growing pains along the way, and he needs to work on his efficiency when it comes to shooting the ball, but as a second-year players, bumps in the road like this are to be expected.

Barring a sudden change, Washington likely won't be called up to Milwaukee too often, and it's for the best that he keeps working on his game in the G-League. If the Bucks are hunting for a backup point guard down the line, perhaps they'd give Washington a close look. For now, all he can do is continue to work on his game and develop.