With the 23rd pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks took a chance on a high-risk, high-reward player in AJ Johnson.
At the time, many doubted the pick for a team in win-now mode. But now that Johnson has had a chance to showcase his jaw-dropping athleticism and offensive creativity in the G-League, Bucks fans are beginning to to see the vision.
How we got here
Johnson has a unique basketball journey in his short career.
During his senior year of high school, he attended Kanye West’s Donda Academy. After the school closed, he chose to finish his senior year at Southern California Academy.
Before playing in the NBL, Johnson committed to the University of Texas while receiving offers from fellow top programs. He then de-committed and followed LaMelo Ball‘s footsteps into the Illawarra Hawks organization, where he averaged 2.9 points over 7.7 minutes per game in his lone season.
Johnson’s career in Australia wasn’t illustrious, but he was a project player with the potential to become a great NBA product.
Despite impressive combine performance, his selection at 23rd was viewed as a reach, and fans were plenty skeptical of the choice.
What we’ve seen so far
As expected, he’s seen very few NBA minutes since his selection. The Bucks have mainly assigned him to their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.
Johnson has largely flown under the radar compared to other draft selections, especially because his tumultuous journey into the NBA has left him somewhat unknown.
He scored 11.2 points per game on 32.3% shooting in Summer League, but Johnson had some shining moments, showcasing his scoring in a 22-point outing that gave fans hope for the future.
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He hasn’t seen a substantial amount of action with the team, but his appearances have stood out with solid numbers on the offensive end.
His start within the Herd organization has proven to be successful. He has put up 14.8 points and 3.8 assists over 26.2 minutes per contest, with excellent shooting percentages of 46.6% from the field and 40.5% from three.
Throughout his appearances, Johnson has proven to be a dynamic guard with a great feel for scoring against G League talent. He showcases fantastic athleticism that allows him to create space and finish at the rim in many ways.
While these numbers have been promising, Johnson still needs much more time until he takes on the NBA competition. He has provided a breath of fresh air as a young player who the Bucks faithful can imagine as an upcoming star for the organization.
Especially within a team with a youth shortage, the Bucks organization could have struck gold on an important piece to their future.
At only 20 years old and approaching his second full year of professional basketball, imagining the possibilities with Milwaukee’s newest project player is exciting.
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