New Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins has narrowed his coaching staff, according to a report from Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic. In a trio of moves that align with the Bucks’ desire for a cultural reset, Jenkins will bring Joe Boylan to Milwaukee for the first time, while retaining the services of long-time Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham, and reuniting Milwaukee with Patrick St. Andrews, who spent five seasons in the Cream City from 2018-2023.
Joe Boylan has a long history in the NBA, working
in a variety of roles since the 2009-10 season, including stints with the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, and twice with the Memphis Grizzlies (including one where he was an assistant under Jenkins). Notably, Boylan has specialised in player development, working with players such as Jaden McDaniels, Brandon Ingram, and Naz Reid. His role in Milwaukee, then, will be particularly important as the Bucks look to develop their current crop of young players (think Ryan Rollins and Ousmane Dieng), along with their 10th overall pick in this year’s draft—and anyone else they acquire via trade or free agency. If his 2025 article with The Athletic, “I developed NBA players for a decade. This new training method can help anyone,” is anything to go by, Boylan focuses on a constraints-led approach, placing players in different environments that force them to discover solutions themselves rather than focusing on repetition of “ideal” technique.
In addition to hiring Boylan, the Bucks are also bringing Darvin Ham. After interviewing for the New Orleans Pelicans’ head coach position, Ham will return to the Bucks where he has spent six seasons as an assistant coach—four prior to coaching the Los Angeles Lakers for two seasons and two since returning. Known for his work ethic and communication, Ham has a lengthy history with Jenkins, with the pair working together under Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta for five seasons. Just as importantly, Ham offers the Bucks a sense of stability, an essential quality following what has been a tumultuous period for Bucks basketball.
Also joining Milwaukee is Patrick St. Andrews, who worked under Jenkins with the Memphis Grizzlies between 2023-2025, but also has a long history with the Bucks, spending five seasons in Milwaukee under coach Mike Budenholzer, including the 2021 championship season. In addition to these, St. Andrews was also a long-time member of Budenholzer’s staff in Atlanta, working with the Hawks in various roles from 2014 to 2018. Most recently, however, St. Andrews spent the past season with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he was initially hired along with current interim head coach Tiago Splitter as part of Chauncey Billups’ staff before Billups was placed on leave after being arrested in a federal gambling investigation. According to Blazers insider Sean Highkin, “St. Andrews was one of Tiago Splitter’s most important assistants this year and was responsible for managing rotations and minutes restrictions when half the team was coming back from injury.”
Together, the additions of Boylan, Ham, and St. Andrews point to the Bucks’ commitment to reestablish their culture, leaning on the past to project them into the future. With a combined focus on player development, stability, and in-game management, the hires give Jenkins a versatile staff built on familiarity, signalling the type of foundation Milwaukee wants to build under its new head coach. And with the NBA Draft right around the corner—and free agency coming shortly after—the timing couldn’t be better.
