Long-time assistant coach Joe Prunty has been confirmed as the Milwaukee Bucks interim coach until the end of the season.
Having failed to commit anything beyond the fact a plan would be in place by Friday’s game when speaking at an earlier press conference, it didn’t take Jon Horst long to officially reveal Milwaukee’s coaching plans for the remainder of the current season.
While Joe Prunty was working on the sideline during the second quarter of Monday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, the Bucks’ general manager revealed on the Fox Sports Wisconsin broadcast that Prunty would remain in that position until the end of the season.
Horst was speaking to Fox Sports Wisconsin’s Telly Hughes from courtside at the Bradley Center.
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Explaining the decision he and the rest of the organization had arrived at in regard to the interim role, Horst highlighted the comfort, trust and familiarity Prunty holds within the franchise.
"“We fully trust and want to empower Joe in this opportunity, and he’ll be the head coach for the rest of the season. Based on that, he’ll earn an opportunity to be part of the bigger search in the summer.”"
Prunty held a significant role on Kidd’s staff for the entirety of his tenure, with the 48-year-old widely known to have been the lead assistant for the team’s offensive efforts.
With his ties to the recently dismissed coach, many will question the decision to commit to Prunty for at least 37 more games. Horst has no such qualms, though, and noted that Prunty’s experience and track record were keys to the overall decision.
"“It’s not continuity for continuity’s sake. We believe in Joe. Joe is a professional and Joe’s got a ton of experience in this league with winning championships in San Antonio and over 20 years as an assistant coach. He has been in an interim coaching position for us in the past and we truly believe in him and want to give him full confidence and full power to do this and help us get to where we want this year.”"
Prunty was a member of Gregg Popovich’s coaching staff during San Antonio’s championship winning seasons in 2003 and 2005, while he also worked under Avery Johnson in Dallas, Nate McMillan in Portland, and Byron Scott in Cleveland, before teaming up with Kidd in both Brooklyn and Milwaukee.
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Outside of that, Prunty has head coaching experience with the Great Britain national team (2013-17), and served on an interim basis with the Bucks for 17 games when Kidd missed time due to hip surgery in late 2015/early 2016, as well as a game earlier this season when Kidd was absent for the birth of his child.