Bucks sign draft picks Johnson, Smith
AJ Johnson walks the stage after being drafted 23rd overall by the Milwaukee Bucks on June 26. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Bucks have officially signed 2024 draft picks AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith, the team announced Friday.
Selected with the 23rd overall pick, Johnson spent the 2023-24 season with the Illawarra Hawks in Australia’s National Basketball League as part of its Next Stars program. The 6-foot-5 guard appeared in 26 games with the Hawks in his first professional season.
A native of Fresno, California, the 19-year-old Johnson was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class coming out of Southern California Academy before opting to participate in the NBL’s Next Stars program.
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Selected with the 33rd overall pick, Smith, a 6-foot-9 forward, played in 43 games last season with NBA G League Ignite and averaged 13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 22.2 minutes per game while shooting 47.4% from the field and 36.0% from three. The 19-year-old reached double figures in scoring 31 times last season, including seven games scoring 20 ore more points, and participated in the NBA Rising Stars and NBA G League Up Next Game at NBA All-Star 2024.
Before joining G League Ignite, Smith played two seasons with Overtime Elite where he earned All-Overtime Elite Second Team honors following the 2022-23 season. As a 16-year-old, Smith was ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the Class of 2023 by ESPN before signing with Overtime Elite.
Contract details were not provided.