ROUND 1: AJ Johnson - Poll Added

[JonHeist]

After sleeping on it, it sure feels like we just drafted Jazian Gortman in the first round for no good reason

[paulpressey25]

He didn't cry. That's a great sign.

Every pick we've made that cried ended up being a bust.

AJ will be a better player than MarJon. And it isn’t from the crying, but simply the fact MarJon struggles with having the game come to him. AJ seems to get it out there.

[machu46]

With the current status of college NIL, can we at least now be done with some of these talented kids going overseas to play. It now makes no sense on either side, especially if the players aren't physically mature enough to play with grown men.

Definitely think that's a big part of why G-League Ignite is no more. There will still be some kids here and there that would prefer playing against pros or maybe have issues qualifying for college and stuff, but I do think the NIL stuff will help a lot in terms of getting kids to go to college.

[emunney]

he does seem like a nice kid

Read on Twitter

would be thrilled to be wrong about it being a waste of a pick

He didn't cry. That's a great sign.

Every pick we've made that cried ended up being a bust.

I genuinely do think there's a psychological hypothesis to be made around this in terms of where in the journey/process you think you are. Like, is this a perfunctory step toward what you want, or are you crossing the finish line?

[FrieAaron]

Gut says D, but C is the obvious answer here. Just like with Marjon, hoping to be wrong.

[Prez]

I'm kinda excited tbh. Ready to be crushed (as normal for Bucks fans) but...he's a high ceiling 6'5" combo guard prospect with serious speed/burst, good handles, solid shooting fundamentals, solid vision, and has shown he'll at least try on D. Skinny as **** and not quite ready to hang with grown adults (hence his NBL stats in a limited sample size last year), but I am cool with them going this route.

The kid looks like a legitimately talented prospect but just raw, which is still way more than I can say for other picks I deluded myself into believing in, like Thon, Sterling, etc lol.

I get the people saying we picked him too high or that we should've just taken him at 33, but everything I'm reading makes it seem like he was quickly rising on team boards after they got a good look at him in scrimmages and workouts, and I don't think it's a guarantee that he would've been there at 33. Idk man

[Badgerlander]

[youtube] https://youtu.be/ZCqh5ROtQRg?si=fxPqM7QkKI-i4hgA [/youtube]

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

watched more clips. the dude is nasty with the dribbles and hesi's. he will shoot it well enough. not even worried about that.

and if silver is 6 3 then our guy is AT LEAST 6 5 and probably more like 6 6. standing side by side theres at least 2 inches probably 3.... and even watching him on the floor with others he looks like hes got size.

also not worried about being a string bean. give me length and skill and he can fatten up whenever. weve drafted measurables in the past and they werent basketball players. this guy looks like a honest to goodness basketball player. i think he comes around faster than hes being projected. he strikes me as the type thats going to develop fast or not at all. the jennings giannis vibe with the ball in his hands is all over the place here. there is nothing about the way he plays that makes me think hes balling on anything but instinct and i love that. thon and marjon for example are the opposite of that. this guy just balls

We don't need to do this. We know to a quarter of an inch exactly how tall he is. He's 6'4.25" without shoes, which will probably put him at 6'5" in shoes.

i have no doubt the combine measurement is accurate +/- a half an inch or so.

so in shoes hes 6 5 to 6 6..... 2-3 inches taller than silver who at his age is unlikely to have maintained his youthful measurement of 6 3

[SupremeHustle]

I'm conflicted. On one hand, I do not trust Jon Horst to make a good pick. On the other, I like what I've seen from the clips and highlights.

Just to calibrate my semi-recent draft day opinions: I wanted Portis over Rashad Vaughn (he's still young), Sabonis over Thon (really anyone but Thon), John Collins over DJ Wilson, Huerter over Donte, Nikola Jović over Beauchamp.

That's not a bad record and it makes up for me thinking Marcus Haislip was gonna be awesome, in my opinion.

[chonestown]

I'm conflicted. On one hand, I do not trust Jon Horst to make a good pick. On the other, I like what I've seen from the clips and highlights.

Just to calibrate my semi-recent draft day opinions: I wanted Portis over Rashad Vaughn (he's still young), Sabonis over Thon (really anyone but Thon), John Collins over DJ Wilson, Huerter over Donte, Nikola Jović over Beauchamp.

That's not a bad record and it makes up for me thinking Marcus Haislip was gonna be awesome, in my opinion.

Slip and Flip were gonna be the new age KG and Steph!

[msiris]

Another angle I have is this guy has proven nothing. Why pay him when a guy like Shannon has a great season and proved he has the potential to play with the big guys? This why we have a poor bench since we are always swing for a home run when we already have our home run core but the role players pretty much suck. Meanwhile a team like Boston has drafted more role players and played them or traded them to find other roie players who better fit them.

[Badgerlander]

Reminds me of Dejonte murray

[Matches Malone]

I'm conflicted. On one hand, I do not trust Jon Horst to make a good pick. On the other, I like what I've seen from the clips and highlights.

Just to calibrate my semi-recent draft day opinions: I wanted Portis over Rashad Vaughn (he's still young), Sabonis over Thon (really anyone but Thon), John Collins over DJ Wilson, Huerter over Donte, Nikola Jović over Beauchamp.

That's not a bad record and it makes up for me thinking Marcus Haislip was gonna be awesome, in my opinion.

There's a handful of posters here I'd rather have making draft picks over Horst

Not to say he's the worst GM ever, but he has his glaring blind spots when it comes to draft/develop.

[msiris]

I'm conflicted. On one hand, I do not trust Jon Horst to make a good pick. On the other, I like what I've seen from the clips and highlights.

Just to calibrate my semi-recent draft day opinions: I wanted Portis over Rashad Vaughn (he's still young), Sabonis over Thon (really anyone but Thon), John Collins over DJ Wilson, Huerter over Donte, Nikola Jović over Beauchamp.

That's not a bad record and it makes up for me thinking Marcus Haislip was gonna be awesome, in my opinion.

Most of us would have made those picks yet Horst still has a job thanks to Giannis.

[German Athens]

Reminds me of Dejonte murray

Yeah, I see quite a bit of him, too.

[RiotPunch]

I really like AJ's tools and potential. He has a very solid blend of athleticism, speed, body control, handles and feel for the game. It's not hard to see the appeal (without looking at the numbers). Still trying to rationalize the direction, as we obviously need contributors now. Maybe you draft Terrence Shannon or Ryan Dunn and Doc just doesn't play them at all, and now you've got a mostly maxed out player not contributing. This way at least you can just let the higher ceiling AJ flourish in the G-League, live in the gym (and the kitchen) and hopefully fast track his progression. He is taller than I thought, maybe we can get lucky with another late growth spurt like we did with Giannis.

[emunney]

Another angle I have is this guy has proven nothing. Why pay him when a guy like Shannon has a great season and proved he has the potential to play with the big guys? This why we have a poor bench since we are always swing for a home run when we already have our home run core but the role players pretty much suck. Meanwhile a team like Boston has drafted more role players and played them or traded them to find other roie players who better fit them.

Again, this is just not true. This is the second first round pick we've made since 2018, when we took the Final Four MOP. We took a guy who played well in the G League two years ago, a much higher level of competition than NCAA. Last year we bought a high second rounder to take the glue guy from the National Championship team. AJ Johnson is our third top 40 pick since 2018. The issue is the incredibly low volume of draft picks made from anything resembling a quality spot.

[M-C-G]

Reminds me of Dejonte murray

How does he compare to Bones? Wasn’t he an Uber skinny, super fast guy this board wanted st one point?

[RiotPunch]

Reminds me of Dejonte murray

Yeah, I see quite a bit of him, too.

That's a fun one. Measurables coming out are pretty spot on.

This could also be said of AJ, from DX in 2016:

Murray has good size for either guard position, measuring 6'5 in shoes with a 6'9 ½ wingspan. He has a thin frame, currently only listed at 170 pounds, but has fairly wide shoulders that indicate he should be able to fill out and get stronger in time. While not freakishly athletic in a traditional sense, Murray is a very fluid and slithery player, capable of playing above the rim in space, and knowing how to get to where he needs to on the floor thanks to his excellent instincts and pace.

AJ might be a tick taller with a slightly lesser wingspan, but pretty close.

[soxperry]

Read on Twitter

Nobody:

Lisa: AJ Acrobatic!

Goodness!!