Taylor Jenkins hasn't coached a single game with the Milwaukee Bucks, but he is already holding his players accountable. Speaking at Summer League, Bucks guard Brayden Burries, the 10th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, spoke highly of his new coach, citing how Jenkins has already worked to keep him accountable and fuel his development.
"Coach Jenkins, he wants to get the best out of you. He's going to hold you accountable. Even from the first day of practice, he was getting on us about having high energy."
Bucks fans who watched the previous era of basketball will love to hear this.
Rivers era lacked accountability all-around
There were plenty of shortcomings from the Doc Rivers era, but one of the greatest was the sheer lack of accountability throughout. As detailed on an episode of his podcast, Game Recognize Game, Bucks center Myles Turner went on the record to detail how his first year with Milwaukee was unlike any year he previously had with the Indiana Pacers.
First off, there were never fines for players who went against the grain. Turner said that players would show up to team events whenever they felt like it, if they even went at all. In Indiana, that would have led to a fine. In Milwaukee, it was brushed off because there simply was no accountability. It was a madhouse, which translated to the on-court product quickly.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, despite having been the face of the Bucks franchise, was one of the biggest culprits of being late in Turner's eyes.
"Giannis is gonna show up whenever he wants, really. I think that just came with the territory. And once I kind of saw what was going down, I said, ‘Hey, man, more power to you. They ain’t gonna fine you. Do what you do.’”
Now, the Milwaukee Bucks are looking ahead to a new era.
Jenkins must get the Bucks back on the right track
Everything that went on for the last couple of years has to stop. Jenkins will need to put his foot down and make sure everyone is on the same page. This team cannot afford to start its next generation of basketball doing the same things that forced the last one to unravel. Thankfully, Jenkins is already on the case, working to keep everyone up to par.
The Taylor Jenkins era is already starting off on a high note. While the Milwaukee Bucks won't have a superstar leading the way for the first time in a long time, they do have a quality player development coach, a retooled roster full of young potential, and an assortment of picks to further tweak the roster as needed in time.
All of it will only work if Milwaukee operates differently than it has in recent years.
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