What Prospect Could Bucks Pair with Giannis in Consensus NBA Mock Draft?

The Milwaukee Bucks only goal this offseason is to build around two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo,in hopes that he elects to stay and re-sign with the franchise.

Right now, Milwaukee is in desperate need for talent, and finding the next young piece to pair alongside their franchise superstar will be critical when pitching to him why he should stay put.

This upcoming draft could provide Milwaukee an opportunity to identify that next cornerstone — or at the very least, a prospect who can grow into an impactful player next to their superstar.

With that in mind, I wanted to take a closer look at how several of the leading draft analysts currently project the first round.

To do that, I examined projections from five prominent draft-focused sites and averaged their rankings to create a consensus mock draft. The goal was to get a clearer sense of where prospects are generally expected to land before the NCAA Tournament potentially reshapes the landscape.

To add another layer to the exercise, I also ran the Tankathon lottery simulator to determine the draft order and see which teams would end up selecting each player in this consensus mock scenario.

giannis — Mar 4, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) looks on in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

In this exercise, the Milwaukee Bucks remained in the No. 10 spot of the NBA Draft. Milwaukee is currently pushing to reach the Play-In Tournament, hoping to give itself a chance to compete in the playoffs alongside its superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

However, one could argue the Bucks’ best long-term move would be to shut Antetokounmpo down for the remainder of the season, allow him to fully recover from injury, and focus on positioning themselves for the best possible draft pick. Atlanta does have the ability to swap with Milwaukee if they pass New Orleans in the Draft Lottery, but where New Orleans is now, is still higher than where Milwaukee is currently.

Remaining at No. 10 is still a solid outcome, but moving up in the lottery could play a significant role in strengthening the roster around Antetokounmpo and helping convince him that Milwaukee can continue competing at a high level.

For now, though, the Bucks are slotted to pick tenth. Below is a closer look at the prospect projected to land with Milwaukee at that spot.

Let's see who the experts have going to the Bucks in the NBA Draft Lottery Consensus Mock Draft.

1). Indiana Pacers: Darryn Peterson | Guard | Kansas

ESPN - Darryn Peterson
Tankathon - Darryn Peterson
The Athletic - AJ Dybantsa
No Ceilings - Darryn Peterson
Bleacher Report - AJ Dybantsa

2). Brooklyn Nets: AJ Dybantsa | Forward | BYU

ESPN - AJ Dybantsa
Tankathon - AJ Dybantsa
The Athletic - Darryn Peterson
No Ceilings - AJ Dybantsa
Bleacher Report - Darryn Peterson

3). Washington Wizards: Cameron Boozer | Forward | Duke

ESPN - Cameron Boozer
Tankathon - Cameron Boozer
The Athletic - Cameron Boozer
No Ceilings - Cameron Boozer
Bleacher Report - Cameron Boozer

4). Utah Jazz: Caleb Wilson | Forward | North Carolina

ESPN - Caleb Wilson
Tankathon - Caleb Wilson
The Athletic - Caleb Wilson
No Ceilings - Caleb Wilson
Bleacher Report - Caleb Wilson

5). Sacramento Kings: Kingston Flemings | Guard | Houston

ESPN - Kingston Flemings
Tankathon - Kingston Flemings
The Athletic - Kingston Flemings
No Ceilings - Keaton Wagler
Bleacher Report - Keaton Wagler

6). Atlanta Hawks (via NOP): Mikel Brown Jr. | Guard | Louisville

ESPN - Mikel Brown Jr.
Tankathon - Keaton Wagler
The Athletic - Keaton Wagler
No Ceilings - Kingston Flemings
Bleacher Report - Kingston Flemings

7). Dallas Mavericks: Keaton Wagler | Guard | Illinois

ESPN - Nate Ament
Tankathon - Darius Acuff Jr.
The Athletic - Darius Acuff Jr.
No Ceilings - Mikel Brown Jr.
Bleacher Report - Mikel Brown Jr.

8). Memphis Grizzlies: Nate Ament | Forward | Tennessee

ESPN - Jayden Quaintance
Tankathon - Nate Ament
The Athletic - Mikel Brown Jr.
No Ceilings - Nate Ament
Bleacher Report - Brayden Burries

9). Chicago Bulls: Darius Acuff Jr. | Guard | Arkansas

ESPN - Darius Acuff Jr.
Tankathon - Mikel Brown Jr.
The Athletic - Nate Ament
No Ceilings - Jayden Quaintance
Bleacher Report - Jayden Quaintance

10). Milwaukee Bucks: Jayden Quaintance | Center | Kentucky

Dec 20, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Jayden Quaintance (21) shows emotion against the St. John Red Storm in the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

ESPN - Thomas Haugh
Tankathon - Labaron Philon Jr.
The Athletic - Brayden Burries
No Ceilings - Koa Peat
Bleacher Report - Darius Acuff Jr.

Bucks Analysis: The consensus pick for the Milwaukee Bucks in this exercise is Jayden Quaintance. While his upside is intriguing, I’m not convinced that drafting a center would be the best move for Milwaukee, especially after the team invested heavily in Myles Turner this offseason. There are also legitimate questions surrounding Quaintance’s long-term health, which makes the fit even more uncertain. Instead, the player I would target for Milwaukee is Labaron Philon Jr. Philon is a true point guard standing at 6-foot-4 and is currently shooting 39.4% from three-point range. While he isn’t known as a defensive-minded guard, Milwaukee already has strong interior protection with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Turner anchoring the defense. What Philon would bring is offensive firepower and youth to the backcourt. His shooting ability provides excellent floor spacing, which would allow him to thrive both on the ball and off it alongside Antetokounmpo. Adding a young guard with legitimate offensive upside could give Milwaukee another dynamic piece as it continues building around its superstar.

11). Portland Trail Blazers: Brayden Burries | Guard | Arizona

ESPN - Yaxel Lendeborg
Tankathon - Brayden Burries
The Athletic - Koa Peat
No Ceilings - Braylon Mullins
Bleacher Report - Labaron Philon Jr.

12). Oklahoma City Thunder (via LAC): Labaron Philon Jr. | Guard | Alabama

ESPN - Braylon Mullins
Tankathon - Hannes Steinbach
The Athletic - Jayden Quaintance
No Ceilings - Yaxel Lendeborg
Bleacher Report - Thomas Haugh

13). San Antonio Spurs (via ATL): Koa Peat | Forward | Arizona

ESPN - Bennett Stirtz
Tankathon - Yaxel Lendeborg
The Athletic - Thomas Haugh
No Ceilings - Karim Lopez
Bleacher Report - Karim Lopez

14). Charlotte Hornets: Braylon Mullins | Guard | Connecticut

ESPN - Koa Peat
Tankathon - Patrick Ngongba II
The Athletic - Labaron Philon Jr.
No Ceilings - Chris Cenac Jr.
Bleacher Report - Nate Ament

As a reminder... the Bucks literally cannot get the No. 1 pick. Atlanta gets whichever pick comes in higher between the Pelicans and Bucks, so if Milwaukee jumps to No. 1, Atlanta gets the pick and the Bucks pick where New Orleans lands. https://t.co/fvNj33Ewmp
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) March 6, 2026

Picks 15-20

Here are the six players that got mocked by some outlets to land in the lottery range, but their averages didn't equate to landing in the top fourteen.

Between now and draft night, front offices will continue gathering information through conference tournaments, the NCAA Tournament, workouts, interviews and the pre-draft process.

But while movement throughout the rest of the board feels inevitable, the very top of this class appears far more settled. It is unlikely for Milwaukee to jump into the top four, but landing a top ten pick is still a huge win for the Bucks despite the underwhelming season.