After Summer League, It Appears the Milwaukee Bucks Made the Right Choice in the Draft

Entering the 2026 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks were one of six teams two have multiple first-round picks.

Just a day prior to the draft, the Bucks woke up the NBA world in the middle of the night once they finally decided to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat for a sizable return.

Among the four players and handful future draft picks that Milwaukee received, the Heat also added their own No. 13 pick in the 2026 draft, giving the Bucks two lottery picks to begin their rebuild.

Milwaukee was fresh off trading away the greatest player in its franchise history. With an additional pick in a draft that was considered as one of the most talented classes in recent history, the bucks had two chances to pick a player who could help turn the team around.

At No. 10, Milwaukee used its first pick to draft Brayden Burries from Arizona, and followed by drafting Nate Ament from Tennessee at pick No. 13.

Burries was a guard that showed a tremendous ability to score the ball anywhere on the court and the defensive versatility to guard positions one through three. In a loaded guard draft class, Burries was able to slip to ten and gave Milwaukee a guard for the future.

Ament was one of the more intriguing prospects in the draft as someone who possess the skills of a guard at 6-foot-10. He's able to bring the ball up the court, shoot heavily contested and someone who drew comparisons to Kevin Durant with his size and fluidity by their former coach, Rick Barnes

Though his efficiency needed polishing, the Bucks couldn't pass up on the unique intangibles and drafted the 19-year old. Milwaukee was going to go into summer league with a lot of excitement, as they felt they had two pieces that would help rebuild the future.

While summer league is not the end-all, be-all, it's a good way to gauge the skills of the players in a competitive setting.

A versatile skill set

Burries was everything you could ask if you're the Bucks. The Arizona guard constantly improved after every game, and put his scoring ability on display. He showed off what he could do with the ball in his hands and impressed Milwaukee's coaching staff.

"This was really fun, because we got to the put the ball his hands a lot. He showed scoring and playmaking that you didn’t always get to see in college,” a Bucks assistant coach said. “Not sure how much that’ll happen in the season, because we’ve got a lot of other ballhandlers and creators. But seeing that he can do it is really, really exciting.”

He finished Las Vegas by being selected to the All-Summer League First Team after he averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game, while shooting 50% from the field and 36.4% from the 3-point line.

While Burries got the attention of people with his performances, Ament flew under the radar and still made an impact in his summer league games.

Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) goes for the basket during practice ahead of a Final Four game on Friday, April 3, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

He averaged 11.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, on 50% shooting from the field and 38.9% from the 3-point line in his five games. The main concern with Ament was his efficiency, and he showed his improvement as he shot 50% from the field and nearly 39% from the 3-point line.

He looked more confident and even took over when Burries did not play against the Charlotte Hornets as he scored 23 points in the victory. Ament is a player that's going to take some time before he figures everything out, but it was reassuring to see him take a step in the right direction.

After seeing the two play in summer league, it seems that the Bucks made the right choice in the draft. They drafted a confident guard who scored consistently and made big plays throughout the showcase. He got off to a hot start in the summer league and is expected to make an immediate impact.

Milwaukee could've gone multiple directions with the No. 13 pick, decided to go with the 19-year old with size and talent that you can't coach. He played his role during the showcase, improved his efficiency and showed off that he can be aggressive with the ball in his hands.

The draft was essential for the Bucks rebuild as they move on from Antetokounmpo, and I don't think that the Bucks left summer league regretting the decision they made on draft after watching the two rookies play.

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