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Bucks Notes: Burries, Lottery Guards, Ament, Markovic

By | at July 19, 2026 10:20 am

Former Arizona guard Brayden Burries, whom the Bucks selected 10th overall in the 2026 draft, was one of the top performers at the Las Vegas Summer League, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

Burries saved his best for last, as he recorded 27 points, four rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in 28 minutes in Saturday’s win over Philadelphia. He also converted the game-winning basket, an off-balance left-handed layup through contact (YouTube link).

Burries averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block in 27.1 minutes per game across four appearances in Las Vegas, Nehm notes. The 20-year-old posted a .500/.364/.667 shooting line and only committed three total turnovers, thriving amid the physicality — players are permitted 10 fouls before they’re disqualified — that sometimes throws off young guards in Vegas.

“You can see it,” Bucks assistant coach Patrick St. Andrews said of Burries’ composure after his 26-point game against the San Antonio Spurs. “Two-way player. Obviously, the offense, shot it really well, but the defense as well.

“And the cool part is he wants to get better. You can feel it. He’s asking, ‘I need more individual clips. I need more, especially on the defensive end.’ For a young guy to ask, that kind of stuff is impressive. Speaking up in the locker room, you can feel his maturity for his age, which is super impressive. And then obviously, you see the talent.”

Here’s more on the Bucks, all courtesy of Nehm:

  • Burries is one of the new faces of the Bucks as the team embarks on a rebuild after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami. He told The Athletic he’s “very thankful” Milwaukee drafted him with the 10th pick and believes he’s well positioned to help the “underrated” Bucks “shock a lot of people” as a rookie.
  • Five guards — Darryn Peterson, Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr., Darius Acuff Jr. and Kingston Flemings — were selected before Burries. Nehm asked the 6’4″ guard if he’d be monitoring those players and circling those matchups in 2026/27. “It’s definitely a competition, but I just compete with myself, honestly,” Burries said. “Comparison is the thief of joy. Once you start to focus on other people, that’s when you lose track of what you got going on. But when we play each other, it’s definitely competition. Obviously, I just want to try to be the best version of myself and prove to those teams they should have picked me.”
  • After a slow start in Las Vegas, No. 13 pick Nate Ament scored in double figures each of his last two games, per Nehm. Although he appears to be more of a project than Burries, that was expected leading up to the draft and the former Tennessee forward is excited to have the support of the team. “I mean, it’s great, honestly. That’s what every kid dreams of,” Ament told The Athletic. “But also at the same time, with great honor comes great responsibility. If I am one of the faces of Milwaukee, then I’ve got a lot of responsibility. What Giannis did for the city — the community, the organization, bringing the championship to them — I want it to be that same type of thing. So, I’m gonna work super hard to build Milwaukee up, the organization and the community, and I’m going to work my butt off to try to bring as many championships as we can.”
  • The Bucks signed Bogoljub Markovic to a four-year standard contract on July 1. The Serbian forward, a 2025 second-round pick, showed some promising flashes in Summer League but needs to add strength to his frame and improve his outside shot, Nehm writes.
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