Milwaukee Bucks introduce AJ Johnson, Tyler Smith in the 2024 NBA draft

Milwaukee Bucks introduce AJ Johnson, Tyler Smith in the 2024 NBA draft

uh the draft at 23 and 33 we talked about it afterwards we had a lot of opportunities we had a chances to move up move out um move back but we got to spend time with these guys during the process fell in love with them and decided we want to invest in them and have them be with us uh now going forward and so um great opportunity welcome to them to the Bucks uh welcome them you know you could meet these guys and have great conversation with them uh I’m going to pass it to Doc for a few comments and we’ll open for questions yeah Echo uh what John just said first of all welcome welcome to the families all right you’re now part of our family so uh you’ve been adopted uh they’ve been adopted uh one of the things that that we love about uh these two guys is is who they are and that comes from their family so we appreciate the work you’ve done and now it’s our hand our job to get our hands on these guys and do some more work with them um you know this is not the end though I think a lot of times when people get drafted they think that this is the end of their goal and this is just the beginning uh one of the things we liked about both of them is their work ethic uh and and their drive you can see these two guys want to be great they don’t want to just come in here and and be potential players they want to be players and again we just can’t wait to get to work Milwaukee J C for both you guys I mean the buck are Championship contenders how do you guys think you will fit in next season as rookies I’m I mean just learn I mean we have a lot of great bets around us I mean we’re 19 years old uh we have a lot of time to develop here and I feel like we’re going to get better past so just keep working and just see what happens no I agree what he said uh the main folks is really just like uh working to a point where we like the coaches want to play us and like we can actually help the team win so like uh I guess we’re just trying to get to that as fast as possible like learn and get as uh good as we can possibly get so we can get on the court as fast as possible and help the team win games and both these players are very young 19 just what can you expect out of them this coming season are they development guys or they I don’t know I I think we’re going to get in the gym and what I just said is you know I the one thing I love about young guys around veterans it’s like it’s always a push pull you know the veterans pull these young guys along right uh with their knowledge you know with teaching the young guys uh but then the young guys push the veterans with their energy and with their willingness to want to play every night so I I just like the combination of the two I can’t tell you uh that’s up to them uh we’re once we start practicing and playing what they can give us this year it be hopeful uh that they can give us something they’re both skilled uh and they will be quick Learners I think taka kind of mentioned striking the perfect balance here of having you know that’ss at the top young guys at the bottom um bottom of the roster is five or six young really young guys guys um how do you kind of Envision that work now and I guess what do you like about it that the roster is kind of like that yeah here here’s what we like about it it’s it’s intentional right we’ve got six returning core guys um that we know are ready now to compete at a high level and take us where we want to go we’ve got three returning young vets that contributed last year excuse me and should take another jump this year in marjon uh AJ and Andre Chris Livingston had a great first year with us he’s working his ass off and he’s going to be ready to contribute also and now we’ve got Tyler and AJ pushing there and we’ve got three spots on our roster right now in free agency as soon as we’re done with this press conference that we’re going to go and figure out the best balance and how they fit the rest of that group but when you talk about playoff rotations being you know N9 or 10 and shortening as you go deeper regular season rotations you know that’s that’s doc wheelhouse but the the balance is intentional we’ve got we’ve got really great core depth at the top we’ve got Young Veterans that can come in and help and contribute like they did last year and we’re going to add more to this team through free agency and we’ve got these guys who are going to push them every single day and it’s on them it’s on them how hard they want to work and and they have the opportunity to contribute and play you know when they do that how quick they do it how they do it it’s really up to them and how much they work at

The Bucks introduced their first- and second-round draft selections, AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith, on Tuesday in Milwaukee.

The emphasis on youth – both players are 19 years old – was intentional, given the new roster restrictions.

“When you look at their ages, when you look at their athleticism and when you look at their skill, it all matches,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “A lot of times we draft guys on their athletic ability, and then we try to teach them the skill part. They already have the athleticism. They already have the skill. Now it’s our job to try to teach them the game, get them stronger, get them ready.”

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