After parting ways with Mike Budenholzer, the Milwaukee Bucks’ coaching search is underway, and the first five candidates have been revealed.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Milwaukee has received permission to interview Kenny Atkinson of the Golden State Warriors. They are also expected to interview Bucks’ assistant Charles Lee and formed Hornets coach James Borrego. Adrian Griffin and Scott Brooks are also in the mix. To be clear, these are not the five finalists, as they are just the first five names the team will look at. With that said, let us rank the trio from “worst” to best.
No. 5 – Charles Lee
Charles Lee has been deserving of a head coaching gig for several years now. He’s had countless coaching interviews over the past few off-seasons and has already had two this off-season with the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors. It seems like Lee is inevitably going to get one of those two jobs. Lee wouldn’t be a disastrous hire for the Bucks, but his status as a first-year head coach could turn many off.
Given their contending status, Milwaukee cannot afford to have a “feel it out” season with a brand new head coach. To be beyond clear, not all first-year head coaches are destined to fail. Some have excellent track records. However, is that really a chance the Bucks are willing to take with so much on the line next season? They have to hit a home run with this hire to maximize the Bucks’ core as they age. Someone with experience at the highest level would make sense to lead the charge.
Lee should undoubtedly get a job with the Pistons or Raptors, but the Bucks’ job just may not be the right fit at this time.
No. 4 – Adrian Griffin
In addition to Charles Lee, the Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly looking at another top assistant in Toronto’s Adrian Griffin. Like Lee, Griffin is also up for the coaching job where he served as the top assistant, as he’s interviewed for Toronto’s vacancy. While he seems like the frontrunner for that job, the Bucks clearly want to get an idea of what he could bring to the table.
Much of what was said about Lee in the previous section could be said about Griffin. This would be his first head coaching job, which would cause some concern. Although he has served under great coaching minds like Tom Thibodeau and Nick Nurse, Griffin is still eyeing his very first job as a head coach in this league. It’s simply a bit of a gamble for the Bucks.
Griffin comes in just ahead of Lee because of the notion that he would bring different ideas to the 414. After letting Budenholzer go, it feels like Milwaukee needs to wipe the slate clean entirely in their coaching search. While Lee’s style may not be the same as Budenholzer’s, the two have been on the same staff for years, so there are bound to be some similarities. This has been evident with Darvin Ham in Los Angeles, as there have been hints of Budenholzer’s style in there.
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.
No. 2 – James Borrego
Among these candidates, James Borrego is certainly one of the more surprising for the Bucks as the front office looks to find a new voice.
He had a brief stint as the head coach of the Orland Magic in 2014-15 after Coach Jacque Vaughn was fired and then coached the Charlotte Hornets for four seasons. Though Borrego’s teams have never made the postseason, they have shown signs of improvement. During his final three years as the coach of the Hornets, Borrego’s teams went from 23 wins to 33 to 43 year by year. That’s impressive work by Borrego, who made the play-in tournament in those final two years.
The big uncertainty with Borrego is his ability to coach in the postseason, as he’s never led a team there. How would he do on a Bucks team that has championship aspirations from the jump? It’s an extremely important question and why many Bucks fans have clamored for guys like Nick Nurse or Frank Vogel, who have both led title-winning rosters with star players. Although he does have regular season coaching experience, Borrego not having any playoff outings could be a gamble on the Milwaukee Bucks’ end, given their aspirations.
Borrego lands ahead of Brooks and the other candidates due to his skills offensively. During his final season as the Hornets’ coach, Charlotte ranked eighth in offensive rating and led the NBA in assists. Yes, that’s just one season, but Borrego has always been an offensive-minded coach. With a roster like Milwaukee’s, there is no telling what he could do. The Bucks need someone who can bring some creativity to that end, and he fits the billing.
It will be interesting to see just how captivated the Milwaukee Bucks are with Borrego as their head coaching search progresses this off-season.
No. 1 – Kenny Atkinson
When these first five coaching candidates were revealed, the one that was met with the most warmth was Kenny Atkinson. The current Golden State Warriors assistant served as the coach of the Brooklyn Nets between 2016-20, having tallied 308 regular season contests and five playoff games in one appearance. He’s officially the first candidate the Milwaukee Bucks have been given permission to interview in what should be a lengthy search.
Atkinson has been around some great minds during his coaching career, such as Mike D’Antoni, Mike Budenholzer, Tyronn Lue, and Steve Kerr. Having served as an assistant under all of them, he certainly must have plenty of ideas when it comes to coaching his own team. He was reportedly in line to accept the Hornets’ opening last off-season before deciding to return to Golden State, but perhaps the idea of coaching a Milwaukee Bucks team seeking a new voice could lure him away.
Part of what makes Atkinson such an interesting candidate is the culture he developed in Brooklyn when he took over as head coach. The Nets were trying to end a tough rebuild, and Atkinson made Brooklyn a scrappy and fun team that made its way into the postseason. Again, there would be a far different set of circumstances in Milwaukee, but Atkinson’s ability to help establish a culture or build on the current one is compelling.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.