The Taylor Jenkins era officially began this afternoon, as the Bucks formally introduced him to a crowd of fans, media, and a few players, including Myles Turner, Bobby Portis, and AJ Green, at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The 16th head coach in franchise history (not including interim head coaches like Joe Prunty) was flanked by general manager Jon Horst and co-governor Jimmy Haslem, and the trio covered several topics, including Giannis’ situation, the hiring process for Jenkins, and their plans for the NBA
draft.
The Latest on Giannis
Anytime anyone from the front office or coaching staff speaks, the topic of Giannis is undoubtedly bound to be raised. The biggest bit of news regarding the two-time MVP came from Haslem, who said he doesn’t know whether Giannis will stay and that they’ll have conversations with him to figure it out.
“We never had any problem communicating directly with Giannis at all. We always knew where he stood, and I think he always knew where we stood. We’ve had those kinds of conversations since the season was over, and as I said, the draft is June 23, so sometime over the next six or seven weeks, we’ll decide whether Giannis will sign a max contract and stay with us or he’s gonna play somewhere else. Jon, Taylor, Wes (Edens), and I will make that call, and we understand the gravity of that call.”
Regarding Jenkins’s hiring, Horst said Giannis was not involved in bringing him to Milwaukee. There might be some doubt about that answer, though, with Giannis in the city during the same week, a reported meeting between Jenkins and the Bucks front office was taking place. Bobby Portis also chimed in, saying he doesn’t believe Giannis wasn’t involved either. Whether that is true or not, Jenkins did confirm that he has talked to Giannis and the rest of the Bucks roster since his hiring became official.
“Great communication with Giannis, he’s expressed tremendous excitement for me and my family. Even only being here for one season, he and I established a really good relationship and maintained that respect even from a distance. It’s been amazing to be able to communicate with all of these guys, over the phone, and now in person. So yes, I’ve had conversations with Giannis, but I’ve been able to touch base with the entire roster.”
Why Jenkins, and what does he bring to the table?
Right from the get-go, the Bucks were laser-focused on bringing in Jenkins, with Horst even saying that this was all about hiring him. They did have a list of candidates, but Horst said that the first step of their process was to reach out to Jenkins and then go from there. As for why Jenkins opted to take up the helm, it was all about people for him.
“Obviously, I know Jon, for many years now, so I have high regard and respect for him, not just professionally, but also personally. As I got to spend time with Jimmy and Wes, intimately at our home it became very clear these are individuals that I want to partner with. I’m obviously very familiar with many other members of the Bucks organization, so when this opportunity became available, I was like, I know the people, I know what they stand for, I know what their standards are going to be on a day-to-day basis.”
Jenkins spent a year out of coaching after being fired by the Grizzlies toward the end of the 2024–25 season. During that time, Jenkins not only spent more time with his family but also studied a ton of different teams across the association. When it came to the Bucks, in his eyes, there were some things they he liked quite a bit.
“A lot of it was to grow as a basketball coach, but when I did tune in on the Bucks, and especially when they said we [the Bucks front office] want to spend time with you and I dove in deeper, I love the depth of this team. Even in small sample sizes, not just seeing the amazing talent, but there’s a competitive nature there and that’s what I want to unlock even more.”
“When we talk about building a culture and identity, those aren’t just loose terms that we’re gonna throw out there, it’s going to be the embodiment of who these guys are and as coaches, who we are as teachers. I can’t wait to unlock even more, the versatility both offensively and defensively.”
The Bucks have struggled to find any identity since they fired Jenkins’ former boss, Mike Budenholzer. The cultures that Jenkins’ two predecessors tried to build didn’t work out well. Especially under Rivers, there was no clear picture of what kind of team Milwaukee would be. There was also a lack of accountability, with Doc at times deflecting blame and responsibility onto the players. Based on what Jenkins said about how he wants to start his culture with the Bucks, it’s a breath of much-needed fresh air.
“In my time in Memphis, my mentality was always ‘we’re building something.‘ We’re trying daily to get better and that’s me. If I’m going to lead the charge here with these guys up here [points to Horst and Haslem] I’ve got to look in the mirror first and figure out how I’m going to get better every single day, because I want them to feel that from me. It’s the day-in, day-out working and living together that I’m going to make top priority number one and that’s what we’re doing right now. I want (the players) to know I’m going to be on them from the get-go and how we’re going to build this together.”
Plans for the NBA Draft
With four days until the NBA Draft lottery, the Bucks currently have the 10th-best odds of winning the lottery (though that pick would go to Atlanta in a swap). It will be the first time Horst, in his tenure as GM, has a lottery selection, with his previous highest picks at no. 17 in 2017 and 2018, selecting forward D.J. Wilson and guard Donte DiVincenzo, respectively. Horst discussed the excitement about this selection and potential plans for its use.
“There’s a lot of exciement for what it can do for the orginzation, this oppurtunity represents Taylor talked about, to add a player to our roster who can make a big impact quickly. It’s also an oppurtunity to have an asset that we can consider using to build the team another way. I think the position we’re in, wether it ends up being two or it ends up being 11, it’s going to be important having that asset no matter what. It’s really exciting to go through that process. Taylor and I we’re just talking about on the way over here, to say we’re going to be very intentional about the person.”
As for the kind of player they will bring in, whether it’s a draftee or a trade, Jenkins said that they are still having meetings on how they’re going to build this team and the style of play that they want. Yet Jenkins echoed Horst’s sentiment about bringing in the right type of person to the organization.
“I watched a fair amount of college basketball and acutally a little of international basketball as well, over the course of last season. We’re having meetings on-going right now in coming weeks as Jimmy said to sit down and talk about what is the vision, what is the playstyle, what are the type of people we want to bring into this orginzation to represent this city. Those are ongoing dialogues, I’m getting emails left and right, getting downloads on players and I’m excited about that. I can’t put a crystal ball out there and say this is going to be the person who we’re targeting, we’re doing our due diligence to study every part of the player and the person because we want this to be an important addition to a great roster. We want to get this right.”
What did you think of what Jenkins, Horst, and Haslem had to say? Do you think that Jenkins can turn the Bucks’ ship around? Let us know in the comments below.
