The Milwaukee Bucks hold the No. 10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft that will be held Tuesday, June 23, and Wednesday, June 24, at the Barclays Center in New York.
In a recent reader mailbag, Journal Sentinel beat reporter Jim Owczarski looked at the track record of draft picks under general manager Jon Horst since he took over in 2017. The results haven’t been great, but this is the first time the Bucks have had a lottery pick in the Horst era.
Here’s a look at Horst’s picks.
Who are Jon Horst’s best NBA draft picks?
Of the picks Horst has made and kept, Donte DiVincenzo (No. 17, 2018) remains the best and even he did not get a second contract with the club.
Sandro Mamukelashvili is probably the second-best pick the Bucks have made (No. 54, 2021 via Indiana) and he was gone after just 65 games in Milwaukee.
Andre Jackson Jr. (No. 36, 2023 via Orlando) has played three years off the bench for the Bucks and the team holds an option on him for 2026-27.
What happened with Jon Horst’s other draft picks?
D.J. Wilson (No. 17, 2017), Jordan Nwora (No. 45, 2020), MarJon Beauchamp (No. 24, 2022), Chris Livingston (No. 58, 2023), AJ Johnson (No. 23, 2024) and Tyler Smith (No. 33, 2024) are either out of the league already or barely hanging on.
The Bucks picked current Milwaukee guard Kevin Porter Jr. at No. 30 of the first round in 2019 but he was immediately traded to Detroit, and then immediately dealt to Cleveland before his rookie year. He had a tumultuous few seasons before the Bucks acquired him via trade from the Los Angeles Clippers in February 2025. He re-signed with the Bucks in free agency last year for two years and $10.5 million, with a player option for the upcoming season that must be exercised by June 29. Porter played in only 38 games this past season due to injuries.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who are the best and worst NBA draft picks in Bucks GM Jon Horst’s era?
Reporting by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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