Milwaukee Bucks: 5 goals following 2019 NBA All-Star break
3. Mike Budenholzer wins Coach of the Year
Some awards in the NBA are about performance specifically, such as the league’s scoring leader or generally Rookie of the Year.
Others are tied to narrative, lending a subjective filter to a purportedly objective question. “Who was the best coach this season?” is generally answered with “This coach did the most compared to expectations.”
In the case of Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer, he may be the rare winning coach who checks both boxes.
With the Bucks on track for the league’s best record, with a core relatively unchanged from last season and a system clearly designed by Budenholzer, he is arguably doing the best coaching job. Add in the fact that the Bucks were expected to fight for fourth place in the Eastern Conference after finishing seventh last season, and Budenholzer crushed expectations as well.
The problem with NBA awards, specifically those blown by the winds of narrative, are that they can often be caught up in the moment. In November and December Budenholzer was the clear frontrunner for the award, but over time NBA media has sought after new shiny toys.
Mike Malone has overseen the Denver Nuggets making a similar leap in the Western Conference, and enduring more injuries than the Bucks. Nate McMillan has the Indiana Pacers still in third place despite losing Victor Oladipo for the season. Doc Rivers has a ragtag group of Clippers in the thick of the playoff race, fighting with Dave Joerger’s Sacramento Kings. Luke Walton may deserve the award for simply keeping his job this long.
Mike Budenholzer deserves this award. He took a group of players wasted by Jason Kidd and maximized them, instilling a system that worked for this group of players and set up the team’s superstar to be his best self. The Bucks are the fifth-best offense and top defense with the league’s best record, best net rating and subjectively have increased their title odds since the preseason the most.
If the Bucks can finish strong — and perhaps employ some marketing on behalf of their coach — Budenholzer can win this award, becoming the first Milwaukee coach to win Coach of the Year since Don Nelson won in 1983 and 1985.