New coach will reshape Bucks’ play on both ends.
On top of the notable player transactions this offseason, there were eye-popping decisions on the coaching side. The Toronto Raptors fired Coach of the Year award winner, Dwane Casey. The Phoenix Suns took a chance on an international coach, Igor Kokosko.
But there was another coaching move that seems to have fallen between the cracks–the signing of Mike Budenholzer. The longtime Atlanta Hawks coach was signed by the Milwaukee Bucks.
After firing NBA veteran Jason Kidd, it was clear that the Bucks wouldn’t retain interim coach Joe Prunty after Prunty went 21-26 and were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs
Budenholzer has the challenge of picking up the pieces and helping the Bucks achieve greatness–a status that may not be out of this team’s reach.
Of first order is addressing the Bucks’ offensive schematics. Budenholzer was one of the few coaches in the league to implement the NBA’s now-popular spacing game. That scheme–executed with players like Demarre Carroll and Kyle Korver–helped the Hawks optimize offensive potential. In Budenholzer’s five years with the team, the Hawks ranked in the NBA’s Top Ten in total threes made and percentage of threes in four of those seasons. And the Hawks made the postseason four times and went to the eastern conference finals once.
He’ll now take that scheme to Milwaukee. It’s needed, too. The Bucks are deficient in three-point shooting. The team ranked in the NBA’s bottom 10% in two out of the last three seasons.
Of course, a big reason for that outcome is personnel. Only Mirza Televenoic (career 46.7 percent) and Tony Snell (career 40.3 percent) have been able to hit consistently from the outside.
The Bucks need to get better and they took steps to make it happen. It came by way of signing stretch bigs Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova, both of whom will help the Bucks’ offense flow in spacing.
On defense, Budenholzer can make an impact, too. In Atlanta, he helped Demarre Carroll and Paul Millsap become two of the top defensive players in the league. In Milwaukee, he’ll have lengthy wing players–Tony Snell, DJ Wilson, and Khris Middleton. Under Budenholzer’s tutelage, those three (and others) have an opportunity to turn their defensive games from above-average to elite.
‘Now’ is time for the Bucks. Mike Budenholzer will transition the Bucks from also-ran to an Eastern Conference contender.
