3 Rookies that Bucks guard AJ Johnson will constantly be compared to

3. Isaiah Collier, G, Utah Jazz

Addressing the backup point guard position was a need for the Bucks with Cameron Payne and Patrick Beverley not really having the desired effect last season, so Johnson may be the one to come off the bench and push the tempo. Another guard taken late in the first round who was an option for the Bucks was Isaiah Collier out of USC.

The Utah Jazz selected him with the 29th pick to add to their young roster as they look to figure out their direction as a franchise. Collier was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and was one of the top players in the 2023 college class. He seemingly dropped late to the first round for no real reason. That was just the case on many mock drafts, with early boards having him in the top 10 picks and slowly heading toward the latter stages of the opening round.

The former Trojan is averaging four points, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals so far in preseason and may be their point guard for the future, but as it stands, the Jazz have a lot to figure out with their young players, so this season may be a very up and down season for them as a franchise.

Being a fellow point guard taken late in the first round, Collier and Johnson will likely be compared to each other with them both being highly ranked high-school players and then taking different paths from there before ending up in the NBA.

Their situations are a big factor here, with Johnson and the Bucks looking to push for a title, so he may not be given much freedom on the court. Unlike Collier, who is expected to be on one of the weaker teams in the league, there will be less pressure, and we may see him put up good individual numbers on a struggling team.

All season long, the Milwaukee Bucks will be scrutinized for their selection of AJ Johnson based on how he performs and how other rookies do on the court. One thing for certain is that his teammates have his back, and coach Doc Rivers has shown faith in him in preseason.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis with the NBA regular season less than a week away.