Milwaukee Bucks: Assessing Jon Horst’s performance heading into draft night

Firing Kidd, hiring Budenholzer

The firing of Jason Kidd was long overdue for the Bucks, who stumbled to a 23-22 record prior to his firing despite deploying a starting lineup featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe for the majority of those games.

Kidd’s inconsistent rotations, poor game management, underwhelming defensive scheme and old-school offensive playbook were glaring reasons why the Bucks were struggling. He also reportedly had lost most of the locker room, and patience had worn thin for his excuses.

Following the season, Horst hired Mike Budenholzer as head coach, who brought most of his Atlanta Hawks coaching staff with him. Budenholzer won Coach of the Year in 2015 and is known for his ability to maximize the talent on his roster while developing players through an individualized approach.

Budenholzer is a massive upgrade over Kidd from not only a developmental perspective, but also a schematic one. His systems tend to fit the personnel on his roster, often evolving when his personnel change.

The hiring of Budenholzer is a big step in the right direction for the Bucks if they plan on contending for championships in the near future.

Grade: A