Milwaukee Bucks: What we learned from Mike Budenholzer on The Woj Pod
By Ben Rauman
Assistant coaches are key
When asked about the challenges of being a first-time head coach in the NBA, Bud stressed the importance of choosing the right supporting cast around him:
"“The other big part of being a first-time head coach is putting together a staff. It’s hard to put into words how important that is, and I was very, very fortunate to bring five of my six guys from Atlanta.”"
The Bucks were able to bring over Bud’s former assistant coaches Darvin Ham, Patrick St. Andrews, Taylor Jenkins, Ben Sullivan and Charles Lee from Atlanta. Each were key cogs in what Bud was able to accomplish with the Hawks.
Having the right coaching staff in place is almost as important as having coach Budenholzer himself, since a lot of the execution of his vision will be carried out by them.
The Bucks were fortunate enough to be able to retain five of his six assistants in Atlanta, and Budenholzer noted how this should make things considerably easier for him to begin with in Milwaukee, compared to his time with the Hawks.
The Bucks also added former Erie BayHawks head coach Josh Longstaff, who coached the Hawks’ G-League affiliate in the final year of Budenholzer’s tenure in Atlanta.