Ranking the first 5 candidates in the Milwaukee Bucks’ coaching search
By Dalton Sell
No. 3 – Scott Brooks
Shortly before the announcement came that the Bucks were given permission to interview Griffin, it was revealed that they would be interviewing Portland Trail Blazers’ assistant Scott Brooks as well. Brooks may be the most out of left field candidate for the Milwaukee Bucks on the entire list.
Out of all of the candidates linked to the Bucks thus far, Brooks has the most experience as a head coach. Brooks served as the head coach of the OKC Thunder from 2008-2015 and the man for the Washington Wizards from 2016-2021. In that span, he earned a record of 521-414 (.577) in the regular season and 49-48 (.505) in the postseason. Brooks has experience managing stars, as he has worked with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Bradley Beal, and more.
Experience and ability to work with star players are both crucial elements the Bucks’ next coach must possess, but that does not mean Brooks is a perfect fit. In their next coach, the Bucks need someone who can bring new ideas to make them a well-run machine offensively, and there are questions as to whether Brooks can do that. This SB Nation article by Satchel Price from when Brooks was let go in 2015 describes why.
"“Much of that tied to the offensive end of the floor, where the Thunder often lacked the creativity or movement seen in other top offenses. The team typically depended on Durant or Westbrook to create chances, which at times left them tired and/or overwhelmed. To many outside observers, Brooks’ lack of technical acumen was always going to be an issue when putting together the playbook.”"
That is certainly concerning for a Bucks team that needs a jolt on that side of things next season.