Last week on FanDuel TV's Run It Back, Bobby Portis suggested that the Milwaukee Bucks' next head coach should be of the "Mike Budenholzer type," someone who would "hold guys accountable." That, he said, is what Giannis Antetokounmpo craves.Â
Well, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer (subscription required), two coaching candidates linked to the Bucks in rumors are Darvin Ham and Taylor Jenkins, both former assistants under Coach Bud during his stint in Milwaukee.
Apparently, Portis and Bucks management have a similar vision for the future.
Bucks cannot follow Portis' advice blindly
Portis is right: the Bucks clearly do need a coach who can establish a culture of accountability, for players and coaches alike. That was not the case under Doc Rivers, whose idea of accountability involved throwing fits in the locker room and citing his "resume."Â
That said, blindly seeking out Budenholzer acolytes, if that's how the Bucks interpreted Portis' advice, isn't the way to go about implementing it.
In fact, hiring Ham is the worst decision they could make. After a toxic conclusion to Rivers' regime, one marked by an ugly fracture between players and coaching staff, promoting his right-hand man would strike exactly the wrong note.
Ham lasted just two seasons in his only previous gig, with the Lakers from 2021-22 to 2022-23. It's not like he has an impressive resume to fall back on. No need to check.
It isn't even clear that Ham established a strong culture with his players in Los Angeles. Many Lakers fans would tell you that, far from keeping players responsible, he succeeded only in losing the locker room. In the end, he became an ineffectual effigy while LeBron James brooded in the background, a rift that contributed to his swift dismissal.Â
What Ham does have is his prior ties with Budenholzer. Ham was a member of his staff on the title team in 2020-21, then returned under Rivers. Seen in that light, Fischer's affirmation of his candidacy in the Bucks' current search is hardly a surprise.Â
Portis and the Bucks may be onto something in Taylor JenkinsÂ
Jenkins' status as such is even less surprising. Once the inevitability of Rivers' departure began to crystallize, his name was first to emerge as a potential replacement. Recent rumors have vindicated those early inclinations.Â
Unlike Ham, Jenkins makes some sense for the Bucks. Still just 41, he is the younger figure this team needs at the helm. He isn't just an ex-Budenholzer apprentice; he actually has a presentable body of work (250-214 in the regular season). Including the playoffs, he spent 302 more games in Memphis than Ham did with the Lakers. That matters.
It's not the only thing that matters, of course. The Bucks found that out with Rivers, who is sixth all-time in wins. But, although Jenkins' stint ended abruptly in a cloud of drama, certain elements of the situation would translate to the job in Milwaukee. When he took over, the Grizzlies were a young team coming off a 33-win season, seeking stability from their third coach in as many years.
That might be as far as the similarities extend, but he is one candidate who may actually enforce the accountability Portis cites. While he wasn't able to rein in Ja Morant and his escalating troubles off the court, the aftermath has, if anything, suggested that it was a Morant problem more than one with Jenkins' coaching.Â
Less than a year after firing Jenkins, Memphis vigorously shopped Morant at the trade deadline and is expected to move on from him this summer.Â
That's not to say the case is closed. Hardly. This time around, instead of reaching for the lowest-hanging fruit on the coaching tree, the Bucks must leave no stone unturned. Perhaps Portis will offer further guidance as the search continues.Â
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