Taylor Jenkins To Become Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Following Doc Rivers Departure

The Milwaukee Bucks are set to appoint Taylor Jenkins as their new head coach, with an agreement in the final stages after Doc Rivers stepped down on April 13. Jenkins is expected to guide a roster built around Giannis Antetokounmpo following a difficult and disrupted campaign.

Milwaukee ended the most recent season with a 32-50 record and finished 11th in the Eastern Conference, which stopped a sequence of nine straight play-off appearances. The Bucks also handled ongoing uncertainty around Giannis Antetokounmpo, who faced trade speculation and injury concerns throughout the year.

Jenkins, 41, previously worked on the Milwaukee coaching staff during the 2018-19 season as an assistant. Jenkins then moved to the Memphis Grizzlies, taking over as head coach the following year and remaining in that position for six seasons, guiding a young roster through several play-off pushes.

Across those six seasons in Memphis, Jenkins posted a 250-214 regular-season record and reached the play-offs three times. The reported agreement will make Jenkins the 19th head coach in Milwaukee franchise history and returns Jenkins to a club where Jenkins already knows some organisational structures.

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins inherits Giannis situation

Rivers’ resignation left Milwaukee searching for stability after a season marked by injuries and off-court tension. Giannis Antetokounmpo featured in only 36 games because of physical issues and was linked to trade rumours before the deadline, which placed further scrutiny on Milwaukee’s direction.

After Milwaukee’s season ended, Antetokounmpo stated that physical condition was not an issue late in the schedule and felt the organisation should have allowed more court time. Jenkins now steps into a role where managing Antetokounmpo’s trust and health, alongside reversing Milwaukee’s slide, becomes an immediate priority.