These guys could be core pieces for Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Bucks went 32-50 this season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 27.6 points and 9.8 rebounds but only started 36 games, and the roster around him looked thin all year.
On Sunday the Bucks landed the No. 10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, their first lottery selection in over a decade.
That pick matters a lot more than it normally would, because the franchise feels like it is sitting at a crossroads right now.
Milwaukee is not starting over from nothing, even if it felt that way in March.
The roster has Ryan Rollins, who had a nice jump this season with 17.3 points and 5.6 assists across 67 starts, Bobby Portis at 13.7 points and 6.4 rebounds, and Myles Turner in the middle.
But the holes at point guard and on the wing are obvious, and whether Giannis stays or goes changes the entire calculus of what Milwaukee needs on draft night.
Mikel Brown Jr., Guard, Louisville
Brown is the name to watch if the Bucks want to bet on talent.
The 6-5 freshman averaged 18.2 points and 4.7 assists in 21 games for Louisville before a back injury cost him the final six games and all of March Madness.
That is definitely a problem.
But when he was on the court he was a different class of player, most notably when he hung 45 on NC State and tied Louisville's single-game scoring record.
He creates off the pick and roll, he shot 34.4 percent from deep, and he has a feel for the game that is hard to teach. If he falls to 10 and the Bucks pass, they might regret it.
Pairing him with Antetokounmpo and Rollins could give Milwaukee something really interesting to build around.
Aday Mara, Center, Michigan
A 7-3 center from Spain, Mara averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks while shooting 66.8 percent this past season.
He won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and then helped Michigan win a national championship with a career-high 26 in the Final Four.
Milwaukee already has Turner, but Turner can opt out in 2028.
Mara's rim protection is real and his passing is better than people think.
He is not a finished product, but the tools are all there.
Yaxel Lendeborg, Forward, Michigan
Lendeborg won Big Ten Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American after putting up 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists on 51.5 percent shooting, including 37.2 percent from three.
He is 23, which scares some teams off, but he does a little bit of everything and proved it on the biggest stage when Michigan cut down the nets in April.
For a Bucks team that cannot afford to wait around, Lendeborg at 10 would be a plug-and-play addition who could help right away.
This is a franchise-altering draft for Milwaukee.
The pick will say a lot about what the front office thinks the next few years look like.