After recently being hired as the next head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, Adrain Griffin has begun assessing potential candidates for his staff.
According to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm and Shams Charania (Subscription required), two names in the mix to become assistants are James Borrego and Terry Stotts. While nothing has been made official just yet, this news should bring a smile to the faces of Bucks fans for several reasons.
2 Prominent names surface in Bucks’ assistant head coaching search
When it was announced that Griffin would be Milwaukee’s next head coach, one of the worries that fans had was his inexperience. He was the only first-time head coach to finish in the running, and having him coach a ready-made contender could be viewed as a gamble. However, adding an experienced assistant or two could undeniably help Griffin gets into the swing of head coaching.
Borrego was a candidate for the Bucks’ head coaching gig before it went to Griffin, so it’s not too shocking that the front office would like to get him on this staff. Stotts is a made man in the NBA with a long resume, so he’s a justifiable option as well.
What makes Borrego and Stotts so compelling are their minds offensively. When they were both head coaches, offense was among their strong suits. Griffin is more of a defensive-minded voice, so having someone like Borrego or Stotts provide pointers on the other end would be a massive boost. One of the significant issues for the Bucks over the past few seasons has been their lack of a flowing offense, but perhaps Borrego or Stotts could get the wheels turning consistently.
It would not be too surprising if the Bucks reached out to other strong offensive minds, such as Mike D’Antoni, to potentially fill the assistant vacancies over the next few months. More names are bound to surface in these conversations, and it will be interesting to see who else the team has their eye on. For now, these two names are exciting potential additions to the sidelines.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis and possible assistant rumors as Griffin looks to fill out his coaching staff for 2023-24.