MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks took a big swing night one of the 2024 NBA Draft.
While the franchise remains committed to winning an NBA Championship in the upcoming 2024-25 season, the Bucks drafted for the future rather than a win-now player.
With the No. 23 overall pick, Milwaukee drafted 19-year-old combo guard AJ Johnson.
Welcome to Milwaukee, AJ Johnson! pic.twitter.com/iTRcNageFM
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) June 27, 2024
"Honestly, it's still so surreal to me," Johnson expressed. "Just trying to continue to just soak it in, but it's truly a blessing."
Johnson, a native of Fresno, Calif., is a former four-star recruit.
Standing at 6-foot-5, Johnson flashed at the NBA Combine in May showing off both his passing ability and speed. However, with a slender 167-pound frame, he's a draft pick that will more than likely need time to develop in the G League before becoming the impact player Milwaukee sees him as.
“He's a big guard with speed and athleticism that plays both sides of the ball," Bucks general manager Jon Horst stated. "What level he does that is going to be on him and how hard he works and how we support him and really help him grow."
Johnson had a pre-draft workout with the Bucks leading up to Wednesday night's selection.
“I feel like Milwaukee was one of my best workouts I had," he explained. "Even in the interviews at the combine, the interview was really well. It just seemed like they had my best interest and like they really liked me. So yeah, I kind of felt a little bit like Milwaukee would be the team that would want me.”
Round 1 is complete ✅#Bucks GM Jon Horst will be speaking with us shortly about the team drafting AJ Johnson at No. 23. #NBA | #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/MwsZi3Rbio
— Ashley Washburn (@ashleyjwashburn) June 27, 2024
Out of high school, Johnson originally committed to the University of Texas to play basketball.
However, he ultimately decommitted to play for the Next Stars program in the NBL, which is a professional basketball league in Australia and New Zealand.
Johnson's minutes were spare averaging 7.7 minutes across 26 appearances throughout the 2023-24 season. Additionally, he averaged 2.9 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.
Round Two of the 2024 NBA Draft starts Thursday at 3 p.m. Central Time. The Bucks have the 33rd overall pick.
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