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Why were the Milwaukee Bucks the right fit for Mike Budenholzer?

By Bryan Toporek

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 6: Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Atlanta Hawks reacts after the game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on April 6, 2018 in Washington, DC. Hawks won 103-97. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 6: Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Atlanta Hawks reacts after the game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on April 6, 2018 in Washington, DC. Hawks won 103-97. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Can new Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer lead Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. to the promised land?

Former Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer “agreed in principle” Wednesday to step into that role for the Milwaukee Bucks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. After meeting with franchise player Giannis Antetokounmpo and under-the-radar star Khris Middleton at breakfast that morning, he came to terms on a four-year deal, Woj reported.

The Toronto Raptors had also been courting Budenholzer following their decision to dismiss Coach of the Year candidate Dwane Casey on Friday, according to Wojnarowski. The Raptors reportedly met with Budenholzer on Monday, Woj reported, “but they never extended an offer.”

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Assuming Budenholzer had his choice between the two jobs, what made the Bucks the right fit? After all, Toronto is fresh off a season in which it won a franchise-record 59 games during the regular season, and every key contributor outside of Fred VanVleet is under contract through the 2018-19 campaign.

Well, for one, the Raptors don’t have a Greek Freak.

Antetokounmpo, who won’t turn 24 until December, averaged a career-high 26.9 points on 52.9 percent shooting, 10.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game this past season. So long as his development doesn’t stagnate, he figures to work his way into the perennial MVP conversation as early as next year.

With all due respect to Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, Toronto doesn’t have a top-10 talent on its roster like Antetokounmpo. Considering the outsized impact one superstar can have during the playoffs — see: James, LeBron — the Greek Freak’s appeal may have been too enticing for Budenholzer to turn down, even if Toronto is perhaps better equipped to make a deep run next season.

Antetokounmpo isn’t alone in his quest to return Milwaukee to NBA relevance, though.

Prior to his breakout against the Boston Celtics in this year’s playoffs, Middleton was one of the league’s most underrated players, perhaps in part due to the hamstring injury that sidelined him for much of the 2016-17 campaign. He averaged roughly 20 points, five rebounds and four assists while starting all 82 games this past season, and his two-way skill set makes him the ideal complement to Antetokounmpo on the wing.

Whereas Lowry is already on the wrong side of 30 and DeRozan will turn 29 in August, the Bucks’ two top players are both under the age of 27. If Milwaukee can retain Middleton after he becomes a free agent in 2019, Budenholzer would have a foundation of him and Antetokounmpo to build around for the next few years at least.

The Bucks don’t have anything resembling Toronto’s famed Bench Mob, but their supporting cast has some upside. Before Terry Rozier worked him like a speed bag during the postseason, Eric Bledsoe played well for much of the year. Malcolm Brogdon missed 30-plus games due to a partially torn left quadriceps tendon, but he built upon last year’s Rookie of the Year campaign whenever he was active. As Thon Maker continues to fill out his frame, he could eventually emerge as Milwaukee’s center of the future. John Henson and Tony Snell are fine role players, too.

With its coaching vacancy now filled, Milwaukee’s biggest question this offseason revolves around soon-to-be restricted free agent Jabari Parker. When healthy, the Duke product has flashed signs of being a routine 20-points-per-game scorer, but he has already torn the ACL in his left knee twice throughout his four-year NBA career. His defensive acumen (or lack thereof, to be more precise) remains a concern as well.

Regardless of which route the Bucks go with Parker, the team’s room for growth is obvious. Neither Jason Kidd nor Joe Prunty maximized Milwaukee’s talent with ideal schemes on either end of the court last season, so Budenholzer should be an instant upgrade in that regard. Whereas Casey adopted a modern-style offense predicated on ball movement and 3-point shooting in Toronto this past season, the Bucks ranked 27th in 3-pointers made and 25th in 3-pointers attempted under Kidd and Prunty.

Assuming Budenholzer carries over his approach from Atlanta, the Bucks figure to get with the times in 2018-19.

The Hawks ranked among the NBA’s top 10 in both 3-pointers made and attempted in four of the past five seasons — with 2016-17 being the lone exception on both counts — and they ranked among the top 10 in passes per game during each of Budenholzer’s five years at the helm. Adding more ball movement and long-range shooting should only help open up the floor for Antetokounmpo, Middleton and other slashers.

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Taking over a Raptors team that just fired its coach after a 59-win season seemingly didn’t appeal to Budenholzer as much as the chance to coach Antetokounmpo and Co.

Oh, and Milwaukee has the world’s best cheese curds, too. If the Greek Freak didn’t seal the deal, the cheese curds likely did the trick.

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