NBA Draft 2024 live updates and pick tracker: Zaccharie Risacher No. 1 to Hawks, grades, best available, Bronny projections

During his exit interview after the Bucks’ first-round loss this season, Doc Rivers told reporters that Milwaukee needed to find a way to become more athletic. Those athletes could be young or veterans, but the Bucks needed more athletes.

And while AJ Johnson played just 239 minutes for the Illawarra Hawks last season as part of the NBL Next Stars program, there is no doubting his athleticism. Johnson, 19, is the 13th youngest draft-eligible player in the 2024 NBA Draft.

At the 2024 Combine, he posted the eighth-fastest time (10.76 seconds) in the lane agility drill, the seventh-fastest time (2.87 seconds) in the shuttle run and a 38-inch vertical (19th). In addition to strong numbers in drills, Johnson also performed well during the five-on-five sessions at the combine.

For Milwaukee, this is a choice based on upside, as Johnson averaged just 2.8 points in 8.3 minutes per game across 29 games in Australia last season. He is undoubtedly a fast and explosive athlete, but he will need to add strength to his 6-foot-4 frame (6-foot-8 wingspan) as he weighed just 167 pounds at the combine.

A league source said The Athletics that Johnson also impressed Bucks officials during a workout before this year’s game.

With limited draft resources available going forward, it appears Milwaukee is making a big move on a player with the potential to set themselves up for the future, rather than focusing on a player they can plug and play to help them in the coming season.