In what will lead to a fairly dramatic change in style of play, the Milwaukee Bucks are finalizing a deal to make Taylor Jenkins their new head coach, news first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania and Ramona Shelburne.
Jenkins has Milwaukee ties, he spent a season as an assistant coach for the Bucks under Mike Budenholzer in 2018-19, before taking the Memphis head coaching job. Jenkins spent six years as the Grizzlies head coach, and based on what he did there was considered by many around the league as one of the best coaches available this summer.
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He will replace Hall of Famer Doc Rivers, who agreed it was time for him to step away as the Bucks coach.
In Memphis, Jenkins had a 250-214 record and helped develop the Grizzlies into a team that went to the playoffs four times in his six years (although he did not coach the team in the fourth of those appearances because the Grizzlies fired him late in the regular season).
Milwaukee set its sights on Jenkins early, and general manager Jon Horst, as well as team owners Wes Edens and Jimmy Haslam, traveled to Memphis to talk to him, something The Athletic first reported several days ago.
While they had a star in Ja Morant, Jenkins’ Memphis teams were built around defense and winning the possession battle (for example, going hard after offensive rebounds). That’s a departure from how Doc Rivers viewed the game. Jenkins’ teams had Jaren Jackson Jr. during his Defensive Player of the Year run, serving as a rim protector, but also focused on things like taking away corner 3s.
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What the team that Jenkins will be coaching looks like is a good question. It appears Milwaukee and Giannis Antetokounmpo are on a path to part ways — how much a new coach or a major roster overhaul can change that is up for debate — which means Milwaukee will start a rebuilding process. In Memphis, Jenkins and his staff proved good at player development, which will be a key part of what comes next for the Bucks.
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