Consequences of Flawed Draft Strategy for the Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks' draft strategy of selecting project players has proven to be ineffective while the team is in win-now mode.
Over the last three years, the Bucks have drafted five players: Tyler Smith, AJ Johnson, Chris Livingston, Bogoljub Markovic, and Andre Jackson Jr. Only Andre Jackson Jr., who had three years of college experience, remains on the roster for the 2025-26 NBA season.
The rest of the players had limited experience before joining the Bucks, with a combined total of just one year. This lack of experience has made it challenging for the team to develop them, leading to difficult decisions.
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.
The Bucks have been forced to cut, trade, or stash the other four players, including AJ Johnson, a 20-year-old first-round pick in 2024, who was sent to the Wizards in the Kyle Kuzma deal after just one season.
Author's summary: Bucks' flawed draft strategy leads to painful moves.