The dust has settled on the NBA Draft Lottery. The Milwaukee Bucks will be picking 10th on draft night this June. Now that the initial excitement (or disappointment, although if that’s how you’re feeling, that’s on you for getting your hopes up in the first place) has worn off after a good night’s sleep, let’s talk more about exactly what having the 10th pick will mean for the Bucks.
Obviously, this is a golden opportunity for the Bucks to add some excellent young talent. Given the lack of prospects
worth rallying behind in Milwaukee in recent years, the anticipation of this draft is through the roof. The pressure is there, too, for the front office at least. It’s no secret that Jon Horst’s draft track record hasn’t been awesome (even if identifying future 10-year role player Sam Merrill with the 60th pick is pretty cool). It’s time for the man in the office to right the ship and make everyone forget about D.J. Wilson, MarJon Beauchamp, and AJ Johnson.
It’s been a decade since this team’s last lottery pick. Who knows when the next one will be. This one has gotta be a hit.
If the Bucks enter a rebuild this summer, a lot will be riding on the prospect they select because they’ll immediately become a major centerpiece of the team’s core. Luckily, there are numerous potential star bets in the lottery this year, which we’ll get to shortly. If Milwaukee keeps the big fella around and looks to compete next year, this pick will still be important because this roster could really use some new life breathed into it, no matter what.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which direction they choose; Milwaukee’s approach to this draft shouldn’t shift. The goal here is simple: identify the best prospect available at 10 and draft them. Throw context out of the window. This franchise is in no spot to get picky about guys based on little things like what position they play. Just go out, get a guy, and figure the rest out later.
So, which guy should the Bucks be targeting here? Unfortunately, landing at the 10 spot means the class’ biggest studs—AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson, and Caleb Wilson—will not be in play. Other top dogs like Darius Acuff Jr., Keaton Wagler, and Kingston Flemings will probably be gone as well by the time Milwaukee gets on the clock.
The lack of consensus at the 10th pick is a little scary. It leaves Horst more room to try to get fancy and mess things up. The last thing the Bucks (and their fans) need is another Thon Maker.
Don’t fret, though, because this class is good enough even outside of the top five to where screwing up should be a lot tougher. Van already outlined some of the names fans should expect to see on the board for the Bucks, including Mikel Brown Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg, and Aday Mara. All three are very enticing options for different reasons.
Brown Jr. has the highest ceiling of the trio as a flashy combo guard who can get buckets in bunches and spearhead an offense. He’d be a nice fire to Ryan Rollins’ ice in the backcourt.
Mara would step into the NBA as the tallest player not named Victor Wembanyama, and his elite intersection of passing feel, rim protection, and post scoring would put him in a position to be a uniquely dominant force.
Lendeborg is a flat-out winner. He is nearly 24 (red flag), but a winner nonetheless, and that’s what matters. He wouldn’t be the upside swing some may want to see the Bucks take, but he’d make the team better.
The potential game-changers projected to be available at 10 don’t end there. Brayden Burries, Labaron Philon, Nate Ament, Hannes Steinbach, Dailyn Swain, Ebuka Okorie, and Morez Johnson Jr. all stand out as names worth tagging too.
The Brew Hoop team will be diving further into individual prospects in the coming weeks. For now, though, some general truths hang in the air. This isn’t your average draft class—more teams will walk out winners than usual. Milwaukee needs to be one of those winners. This pick shouldn’t get traded (once it’s legally able to be traded, that is). And, above all, this is a super exciting time to be a Bucks fan, even in the wake of a rough season.
The Milwaukee faithful haven’t had a reason to get this excited about the draft in a minute. Enjoy the experience, and keep an eye out for Brew Hoop’s coverage of it!
