Doc Rivers Says Bucks 2024 Draft Adds Two “Intriguing” Players

by Owen Ayite-Atayi, age 16

The Milwaukee Bucks recently introduced new draft picks, AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith. The NBA team hopes the unproven rookies can prove themselves to be hidden gems.

Coincidently, guard AJ Johnson and forward Tyler Smith were Athletic Amateur Union (AAU) teammates in ninth grade and now they are teammates on the Bucks.

“We knew each other for a minute so it should be pretty easy to get along,” Smith said in a press conference.

“I definitely agree with him. Just having somebody that you know for a while and has been playing against and stuff like that,” Johnson added.

Johnson was drafted in June of 2024, in the first round as the 23rd pick. Smith went early in the second round as the 33rd overall pick.

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, who replaced coach Adrian Griffin last season, said both Johnson and Smith bring intriguing skill sets.

“When you look at their ages, when you look at their athleticism and when you look at their skills, it all matches. A lot of times we draft guys on their athletic ability and then we try to teach them the skill part,” Rivers said.

The Bucks need these picks to play out well because they do not have much draft stock in future seasons. They have no draft selections in 2025 and they also traded their 2027 and 2029 picks. Other NBA teams can swap first-round picks with the Bucks in 2026, 2028, and 2030.

Johnson and Smith had similar and unconventional journeys to the NBA. In 2021, Smith was the 8th ranked high school prospect by ESPN. He eventually would forgo college and transition to the Overtime Elite league. He signed with the Cold Hearts for two seasons before jumping straight to the NBA G League Ignite.

Johnson, meanwhile, found his way to an Australian professional league known as the National Basketball League (NBL), but through unexpected circumstances. In his senior year of high school, he transferred to Donda Academy, Kanye West’s school. Donda Academy shut down in 2022 which forced Johnson to join Southern California Academy. He had committed to play for the Texas Longhorns in college but later decided to decommit and play for the Illawarra Hawks in the NBL for one season.

The Bucks are focused on developing Johnson and Smith. They see two players with bright NBA futures. Both are talented and skilled. And both players have a lot to prove to the Bucks organization.

[Source: Wisconsin State Journal; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]