Urgency behind Bucks' Taylor Jenkins hiring suddenly makes more sense

There are many reasons the Milwaukee Bucks bypassed a widespread coaching search and hired Taylor Jenkins shortly after the NBA Playoffs started. One of the most prominent, without question, was how well he'd mesh with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Per HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto, Giannis and Jenkins are said to have a good relationship. With everything going on, that's crucial to note.

Bucks will try to keep Giannis in town

Antetokounmpo and Jenkins are familiar with one another. The two were employed under the same roof in 2018-19, when Jenkins was an assistant under Mike Budenholzer. After one season together, Jenkins left for Memphis' head coaching gig. Bringing in someone with a preestablished relationship with the star of the franchise was not a coincidence for the Milwaukee Bucks.

While it's unclear how much, if any, say Giannis had in this hiring, the Bucks certainly factored in how he might gel with Jenkins when they made the decision. As they aim to convince Giannis to stay put, quickly hiring Jenkins, who was the best name on the market, knocked out two birds with one stone by not allowing other teams to hire him first and get someone with that familiarity. Win-win.

On a recent showing of Run it Back, Bobby Portis did say that Giannis would like a Mike Budenholzer type of coach, and the Bucks took that to heart by hiring one of his former assistant coaches.

These ties alone won't satisfy Giannis

Of course, hiring Jenkins does not guarantee that Giannis will sign on the dotted line of a lucrative deal when the Bucks offer it. The management group still has a lot of work to do this summer through the draft, trades, and free agency. With Jon Horst almost certainly sticking around, he will lead the charge in helping this team crawl back into the contending picture.

That's another reason why hiring Jenkins early made all the sense in the world. Although a thorough search would have made sense for Milwaukee after pouncing so quickly on Doc Rivers, the team now can focus on everything else they need to mark off the checklist. Heading into the summer months, the coaching situation is already taken care of, lifting a significant weight off the team.

It's not even May yet and Jenkins can already get to work as he gets reacclimated to Milwaukee life and working with the players. That head start could be crucial not just for Giannis but for everyone in the building.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.

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