A busy summer just got busier for the Milwaukee Bucks with the announcement that they will be looking for a new head coach following the departure of Doc Rivers. Former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins is a top name on the list, with Milwaukee able to offer him familiarity from his 2018-19 assistant role with the franchise, something other suitors cannot.
Bucks could bring Jenkins back to Wisconsin
Jenkins worked under Mike Budenholzer with the Atlanta Hawks before following coach Bud to Milwaukee in 2018. After one season in Milwaukee, the Grizzlies brought Jenkins in, and he spent six seasons with the team, where he helped Memphis win its first-ever division title in 2022. It was a shock in March of last year when the Grizzlies fired him with just nine games left in the regular season and the team's playoff berth secured.
It will be a summer of change for the Bucks in the coaching and roster department, with Giannis Antetokounmpo's future still very much in the air. If you believe the reports, the two could be heading for a split.
Jenkins is no stranger to Milwaukee or to being in a franchise with a lot going on both on and off the court. In Memphis, the Bucks' target, Ja Morant, was always the center of everything good and bad with the team. Suspensions and injuries overshadowed Jenkins generally overachieving at the helm.
Granted, Jenkins was only with the Bucks for a season, so it is hard to know what his relationships around the franchise were like, but he has experience working with Giannis. That may well count for something, as there are just the Bucks and Pelicans looking for head coaches now. However, there are rumors that the number could drastically increase over the summer.
Bucks can still have a bright future with Jenkins in charge
Whether Giannis stays or not, Jenkins would be a solid hire. Not only does he have experience, but he also led a young team from 33 wins to 56 wins. If Giannis leaves, then Jenkins can fully focus on rebuilding the roster with young players and building for the future, as he did in Memphis.
A tumultuous season may have come to an end that was ultimately all doom and gloom, but there were sparks of a bright future down the stretch. Ryan Rollins has impressed all season. AJ Green broke the Bucks' 3-point record in a season and single game, and Cormac Ryan scored the most points of anyone on the team during April. Plenty for Jenkins to work with.
During the 2021-22 season, in which the Grizzlies won 56 games and lost to the eventual champions, the Golden State Warriors, in the Conference Semifinals, only two players were 28 and older. Jenkins has shown that he can build up a young roster and provide results before, giving the Bucks clear evidence of what he can do.
If familiarity is something that matters to Taylor Jenkins, then the Bucks have something to offer that other franchises can't. The search for the new head coach will be drawn out as the Bucks have to get this right, along with what happens with their superstar, but Jenkins is a name that will be among the top names the team interviews.
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