Ranking the Milwaukee Bucks new young core

The Milwaukee Bucks signaled a longer-view rebuild is coming by selecting the Miami Heat’s trade package for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks took back draft picks and prospects for their franchise player, paving the way for GM Jon Horst and new head coach Taylor Jenkins to build a core of players to develop before leading Milwaukee back to the playoffs.

This new-look Bucks core was formed fast, with a few players from last year’s team, a few from the Heat’s recent draft history, and a pair of rookies selected this week in the 2026 NBA Draft. For this definition of ‘young core’ I’m looking at players under age 25 (sorry Jaime Jaquez Jr.).

As a fun thought exercise, I ranked them based on some mix of current ability and potential, with the goal of identifying which players present the best chances at becoming elite NBA talents.

1. Ryan Rollins

This spot shouldn’t surprise anybody. I’ve been on the record as high on Ryan Rollins for a long time now and he was the one true bright spot amidst a dour Bucks season. Despite being pushed and pulled from either being the only offensive creator on the floor to being marginalized, Rollins managed to average 17.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 40.5% from 3 and 52.3% from 2.

Ryan Rollins is moving me. Very impressive and controlled two-way play. Easily a top riser of Bucks Summer League so far
— Ti Windisch (@TiWindisch) July 17, 2024

Rollins is already an awesome NBA player, despite turning 24 next month and only having two real NBA seasons under his belt. His continued development should be a focal point for Jenkins and the organization next season.

2. Brayden Burries

Comparing rookies to players with years of NBA experience isn’t easy, but Burries deserves respect ahead of his pro debut. Burries was the best player and leading scorer on an awesome Arizona team and doesn’t really have a glaring weakness as a player.

Burries is effective both on and off-ball, a demon in transition, a stout defender (he weighs five more pounds than Caleb Wilson!), and his unselfishness in college shouldn’t be taken as a firm ceiling on Burries’ individual talent. Rollins has some additional on-ball juice and proven production so he gets the nod, but he and Burries appear poised to be a dynamic backcourt for the Bucks going forward.

3. Kel’el Ware

Ware has proven more at the NBA level than any player here besides Rollins. Despite not seeing an increased minutes load from his rookie to sophomore season, the 7-footer saw his per game averages increase to 11.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, and he shot 60% from 2 for the second straight season while knocking down 39.5% of his threes as well.

There are some work ethic concerns that have floated around Ware, but he’s been a productive stretch big anyway. That combination of elite size and shooting is rare in the NBA – the Bucks have found these players in years past and now seem to have another one with a high ceiling on board.

4, Kasparas Jakucionis

Kasparas Jakucionis is a fun prospect, and although he’s ranked here below two other guards I’m still high on what he can be at the NBA level. Like his fellow former Heat prospect, Jakucionis has great positional size at 6’5” as a lead guard. He’s a skilled pick-and-roll player who was dropped onto a team that stopped running them as a 19-year-old rookie, but still averaged solid numbers in limited minutes.

Jakucionis shot 42.3% from three on nearly 3 attempts per game, and had a strong assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly 3/1 in his 17.8 minutes per game. Even if he begins the season as a bench ballhandler, Jakucionis should have more touches and opportunities to grow at the NBA level in Milwaukee.

5. Nate Ament

Nate Ament is a polarizing prospect who I was admittedly lower than most on. Ament’s shooting touch looks pretty but the results from both three- and two-point range were pretty bad with Tennessee this season, and he also wasn’t a player who got to the rim or finished there well enough.

That said, taking Ament does make sense for the Bucks. He’s the first true forward on this list and could certainly develop into a valuable two-way big wing, the most valuable position in the modern NBA. Even if he’s mostly utilized as a second or third option offensively, if the jumper falls consistently and he can defend on the perimeter that’s a great piece to have for the long-term.

6. Ousmane Dieng

We’ve now reached the portion of the young core that aren’t technically on the Bucks roster. Entering restricted free agency this summer, Ousmane Dieng was probably the secondary bright spot of the Bucks 2025-26 season. After being acquired in a minor trade at the 2025 trade deadline, Dieng got to play major minutes for the first time in his NBA career and impressed in the opportunity.

Dieng averaged 11 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game as a Buck, shooting 33.1% from three on high volume (4.5 attempts per game) and 49.7% from 2. Similar to Ament, Dieng’s light for his frame and has thus far looked like a better shooter than the numbers he’s posted. Dieng is worth keeping around to compete for minutes, but could end up losing his spot with the sudden influx of young talent.

7. Bogoljub Markovic

A third straight tall forward, Bogoljub Markovic is the Bucks’ 2025 second-round pick who came over for Summer League but didn’t have a spot with Milwaukee for the 2025-26 season. What he does have is an MVP trophy.

Markovic used the opportunity to return to Serbia well, averaging 18.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on his way to ABA League MVP and the Top Prospect Award. Markovic seemed initially outclassed in his first Summer League but improved as the games went on, and should have another opportunity to prove he’s worth a roster spot next month in Las Vegas.

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