Why Bucks Should Target Brayden Burries in Lottery on Draft Night

The day is Saturday, June 20th, and the Milwaukee Bucks still own the 10th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

With Giannis still on there squad as of this very moment, many paths on Draft night are still in play.

If the Bucks turn the page on this era of the team, will Milwaukee look to add proven stars around the NBA or will they fall back into fully rebuild around young NBA prospects with potential draft picks?

With plenty of good options to consider in the 2026 NBA Draft at the 10th slot, and with rumors swirling that the Bucks may look to add a second lottery pick, be sure to follow along with the On SI team’s Snapshot Scouting Report series breaking down potential targets here.

With the 10th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks select…

Arizona G, Brayden Burries

on Brayden Burries' upside as an All-Around talent:

"So often we put caps on good basketball players because they seemingly won't have (upside)...

I just think smart basketball players figure it out." - @DParkOK

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 from @beyondtheRK pic.twitter.com/EI6D1jjICC
— Swish Theory (@SwishTheory) June 3, 2026

Why Bucks should Draft Brayden Burries

Burries floater — Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) shoots against the Michigan Wolverines in the second half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

1) Draft Profile Strengths 

Posting an all-around guard profile that bills as a sum of many good parts that could become something even greater down the line, Burries shows promise as a lead option scorer, as a creator for others, and as a 3pt shooter, with his biggest strength being defense, positional size and versatility.

Burries will likely be able to guard 1-3 on the perimeter at a good to great rate rather quickly at the NBA level between his strength, length, instincts, and mobility.

Combine those traits with his offensive ball skills and two-way feel and there's not only a good basketball player on both ends of the floor today, but a potential high-end high-impact two-way starter in the making for tomorrow, potentially an offensive connector and starter level defender.

2) Development Areas 

The scouting report on Burries can appear to some to fall in the line of thinking of 'jack of all trades, master of none', but I would push back on that solely because in basketball, being a jack of all trades is almost always a good thing; there's no limit to the winning habits a player can make on the game.

When those traits are all positive, stackable, scalable, team-first type traits like passing, shooting, scoring, and defending, that list itself and the role versatility on top of it is the standout trait in of itself.

Still, when it comes to the offensive end, Burries refining one of his skills like his good scoring and good 3pt shooting into a great or even elite trait, would be one way to make a leap in overall impact.

Simply repping out a high volume of 3pt catch-and-shoot shots to become a confident 3pt threat off ball from deep that defenses have to respect would provide Burries more gravity to open up the floor to give him that extra space for the rest of his game.

3) Burries Fit & Opportunity with Bucks

Giannis thinks — Apr 10, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts following a play during the second quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Milwaukee targeting Brayden Burries is a clean fit on paper for plenty of reasons, especially as a team that is rumored to want multiple first round picks, and potentially two lottery picks, in this draft.

With Giannis in hand, Milwaukee is adding one of the most win-now players ready to plug and play in the entire draft class, a guard who legitimately looks to be a versatile plus defender as a rookie, who makes team first decisions, and can be something of a secondary connector scoring option running the floor with The Greek Freak.

With Giannis out of the plans, assuming a trade does happen, the Bucks selecting Brayden would still be a bet on one of the most all-around prospects in the class. While there are a handful of others with higher potential ceilings, that idea can sometimes be in the eye of the beholder.

Who is to say that the defensive versatility, role optionality, two-way team-first feel, connective playmaking, solid 3pt shooting, and intriguing on-ball scoring creator upside doesn't give Burries both a high floor to be a good basketball player right away with a reasonably high ceiling to be a two-way player as impactful towards winning as most in this class one day?

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