After weeks of wondering whether they would trade or keep the pick, the Milwaukee Bucks were on the clock in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
It felt like the Bucks would play it safe. Ryan Dunn and Terrence Shannon Jr. were both multi-season experienced collegiate players who felt like they could contribute sooner rather than later, and with both still on the board, it felt like general manager Jon Horst would be picking between them. Well, the safe play was not in Horst’s mind that night.
Even acknowledging this himself by calling it a “big swing,” Horst made the stunning call for the Bucks to select 19-year-old AJ Johnson of the NBL with the 23rd pick. Fans and analysts alike were baffled by the decision, largely because this team needed a piece to help them win now, and Johnson’s stats overseas last season were pretty subpar…