Milwaukee Bucks add two more assistants to their growing coaching staff

Adrian Griffin has added two more to his coaching staff following his first press conference as Milwaukee Bucks head coach this week.

Yesterday it was announced that Joe Prunty was returning to Milwaukee along with Patrick Mutombo, who worked with Griffin in Toronto. The Athletic reporter Eric Nehm announced that Nate Mitchell and D.J. Bakker would be joining the coaching staff this season, along with current assistant coach Josh Oppenheimer being retained.

Milwaukee Bucks add two more assistants to their growing coaching staff

Mitchell is a familiar name to Griffin, having joined the Raptors staff in 2021 as an assistant coach under the guise of Nick Nurse, according to the National Basketball Coaches Association. Having spent time in the G-League, he earned his first chance in the Association as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets to then head coach James Borrego. He has also spent time working with the Canadian National Basketball team.

Bakker comes in from the Detroit Pistons, having been an assistant coach there since 2020 under Dwane Casey and previously worked as a player development coach. In 2021, he also took the head coaching duties of the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ G-League team.

Oppenheimer has been on the staff since 2020 and was part of Mike Budenholzer’s staff during the 2021 title-winning season. There is no confirmation yet as to whether Charles Lee, who was linked to many jobs around the league, and Vin Baker are still to be retained. The only vacant job standing is with the Toronto Raptors, and Lee may still be in consideration for that role. If he doesn’t land the role, Griffin may be able to convince him to stay.

Since Griffin has taken on the role of head coach, it is hard to dislike any of the decisions he and the Bucks have made regarding staff. Experience comes in the form of Terry Stotts and Joe Prunty. Mutombo and Mitchell are familiar to Griffin and will complement him well, keeping Oppenheimer keeps a sense of familiarity, and Bakker has earned his stripes and has a player development background that will aid MarJon Beauchamp and any G-League guys that may come up.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks news and analysis.