Reaction to first 3 candidates revealed in Bucks’ coaching search

The Milwaukee Bucks announced the firing of head coach Mike Budenholzer on May 4th and have since commenced their search to fill that position for the 2023-24 NBA season. Coach Bud leaves Milwaukee following the team finishing the season with the league’s best record, but ultimately the way the team crashed out of the playoffs led to his departure. He will forever be remembered by Bucks fans for bringing a championship back to Milwaukee for the first time since the 1970s and consistently putting the team in a position to win titles. The love for him was shown by fans on social media as many praised and thanked him for all he had done for the franchise, along with a heartfelt statement from Bud himself titled “Milwaukee – Thank you!!! Thank you!!! Thank you!!!”

Today, we received an update from NBA insider Andrian Wojnarowski on the search and those that have been granted permission to interview for the position. Three names have been released, and more candidates are expected to be announced soon, but let’s take a look at those named and what they can bring to Milwaukee.

1 – Kenny Atkinson – Golden State Warriors Associate HC

The first name given by Woj was that of Warriors associate head coach Kenny Atkinson. Milwaukee has been given permission to speak to the former Brooklyn Nets head coach, who, to the surprise of many, has not had another opportunity to lead a team. He led the Nets from 2016-2020 before resigning from the position of Head Coach on March 7, 2020.

His most impressive season in charge of the Nets was the 2018-19 season, the year after losing franchise leading scorer and current Buck Brook Lopez to the Los Angeles Lakers. In this season, he led the team to a 42-40 record and clinched the six seed in the Eastern Conference with a roster that many expected to not be up to too much, as he helped revitalize the careers of D’Angelo Russell, Joe Harris, and Spencer Dinwiddie.

Following his time in Brooklyn, he was hired as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers before making the move to Golden State in 2021. As we know the Warriors won the championship in 2022 and that was the first of Atkinson’s career. He reportedly turned down the offer of being the head coach for the Charlotte Hornets following the season. One interesting thing to note is that Atkinson has worked under coach Bud and offensive head coach Mike D’Antoni early in his career and an imprint of both styles has been seen in his play.

Per The Athletic’s Alex Schiffer (Subscription required), Kenny Atkinson is excellent when it comes to analytics, and that was a key reason why the Warriors took him on and helped them win the title last season. He likes to run a motion-based offense where any player can bring the ball up the court and initiate a motion-strong offense. This may suit working with a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo and help create a more positionless style of basketball that could see Giannis spending more time at center.

I am not surprised to see Atkinson linked, as he worked wonders in Brooklyn, and most fans around the league have always wondered what he could do with a stronger roster. I myself would be interested to see what he could do with a strong roster like the Bucks and what ideas he could bring to Milwaukee. It’s early days, but he may be one to keep an eye on.

2 – Charles Lee – Milwaukee Bucks Associate HC

The next coach named is one much closer to home in the form of assistant head coach Charles Lee. The 38-year-old worked under coach Bud in Atlanta from 2014 and then followed him to Milwaukee in 2018. He was always a huge part of everything good about Bud’s teams in both cities. Similar to Atkinson, he was assistant during a championship-winning team as he was alongside current Lakers head coach Darvin Ham as assisting Budenholzer and the Bucks in winning the 2021 NBA title. Fellow coaches from the Budenholzer tree include Quin Snyder, who had many winning years with the Utah Jazz, and Taylor Jenkins, current head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies who are now one of the best Western Conference teams.

One big piece of recent news regarding Lee was that the Detroit Pistons were given permission to speak to Lee, and so outcomes of this Bucks head coaching position may have a knock-on effect on whether Lee stays or potentially goes to Detroit. It may seem strange going for such a young coach, but he has so much experience working in Atlanta and Milwaukee, giving him a strong base to then make any adjustments he may see.

Lee is clearly well thought of around the league and so the decision of the next head coach may already be there on the bench. It depends on how open-minded the front office wants to be and whether that is someone in-house that knows the players and the system to change or go with someone that has more experience in a head coaching role. Whether it is with the Bucks or not, we will likely see Charles Lee with the title of head coach sooner rather than later.

3 – James Borrego – former Charlotte Hornets Head Coach

The final name may be one that surprises Bucks fans, and that is the former head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, James Borrego. Borrego led the Hornets from 2018 until he was fired in April of last year. Yes, he was fired, but the Hornets have only made the playoffs in three seasons since the franchise moved to Charlotte as the Bobcats back in 2004. He only had one season with Kemba Walker on the team before he joined the Boston Celtics, and since then, the Hornets have been an outsider for making the postseason.

In his final season, he led the Hornets to a 43-39 record but ultimately finished in the 10th seed and the front office felt this was time to move on. His time with Charlotte saw him take a 23-win team to 43 wins in two years which is a very impressive achievement. In that final season, the Hornets led the league in assists and were sixth in offensive efficiency per The Athletic (Subscription required). The downside to this was the defensive struggles of his teams. With the Bucks roster, this would likely improve due to the defensive talent of the players, but the scheme would need to be altered to get the best team defense.

Prior to leading the Hornets, he served as an assistant in San Antonio under the gaze of legendary coach Gregg Popovich. This past year he has taken time out to learn and improve away from the game of basketball, and that can be seen as a positive or hindrance to his candidacy.

Of the three already named, Borrego is certainly the most surprising candidate, but there are many positives he showed during his time with the Hornets that can be of benefit to any team. His players-first approach helps hold people accountable but also allows the players to have a voice on what needs changing both on and off the coach. I think he is an interesting candidate for the role,  but with more to be named and interviewed, he may fall by the wayside due to the experience and resume of other coaches available. The idea of him being integrated back into the league as an assistant coach may be one that the Bucks consider.

Stay tuned to find out who else will be interviewed by the Bucks and whether one of these initial three is given the opportunity to lead in Milwaukee.