Mike Malone just took himself out of the NBA coaching carousel by accepting the North Carolina job, and that's huge news for Taylor Jenkins if Milwaukee ever decides to fire Doc Rivers.
Malone was probably the top realistic candidate for any team looking to upgrade their coaching situation. Proven winner, championship pedigree with Denver, respected around the league. Now he's gone to college ball, which leaves a massive void in available coaches who can actually coach.
Jenkins suddenly has a clear runway if the Bucks decide they're done with the Doc Rivers experiment. There aren't many quality head coaching candidates sitting around unemployed, and Jenkins checks boxes that make sense for whatever Milwaukee's building next.
Taylor Jenkins' chances of earning Bucks job just got a shot in the arm
Per NBA insider Marc Stein in an April 5 dispatch of The Stein Line (subscription required), "growing is an anticipation that Bucks coach Doc Rivers and the franchise could be heading for some sort of parting or job restructuring after such a trying 2025-26 campaign."
So if the Bucks are heading toward a rebuild, which seems likely if Giannis gets traded, Jenkins would actually be a great fit for developing young pieces. Look at what he did in Memphis during that era with Ja Morant and those guys. He took a bunch of young players, created an identity, and built a legitimate playoff team through player development and modern schemes.
Jenkins ran pick-and-roll-heavy offenses in Memphis that would fit whatever young guard the Bucks draft. His defensive schemes are modern and switchable. The development track record speaks for itself, as the likes of Jaylen Wells and GG Jackson got better under Jenkins, not worse, while Andre Jackson has only languished on Rivers' bench as of late.
He's also not going to demand some massive contract that cripples Milwaukee's finances further. Jenkins is looking for an opportunity to prove himself after getting fired from Memphis. The Bucks could offer him a chance to rebuild a franchise from scratch with actual resources and patient ownership.
The timing works too. If Giannis gets traded this summer, Milwaukee can fire Rivers and hire Jenkins all in one offseason reset. Clean break from the veteran-focused win-now approach to a development-focused rebuild under a coach who's actually shown he can develop players.
Malone going to North Carolina removes the clear top option from the market. That makes Jenkins more valuable by default because there's nobody obviously better available who'd want the Milwaukee job. Teams will be scrambling for quality coaches, and Jenkins is probably the best option left who's young enough to grow with a rebuilding roster.
The Milwaukee Bucks should pounce now with Jenkins still available
The Bucks should be making calls to Jenkins' agent right now, laying groundwork for a potential hire once the Giannis situation resolves. Don't wait until after the decision gets made and other teams beat you to the good coaching options.
Taylor Jenkins getting the Bucks job isn't guaranteed, but Mike Malone taking himself off the board makes it significantly more likely. Milwaukee's going to need someone who can develop young talent if they're rebuilding, and Jenkins has proven he can do exactly that.
Now they just need to actually fire Doc Rivers and make it happen before some other team snatches Jenkins up. With Malone gone, that window might be smaller than Milwaukee realizes.