Milwaukee Bucks: 2010s All-Decade team by position

HC: Mike Budenholzer, 2018 – 19

To say that the Milwaukee Bucks have struggled to find a high-level coach would be an understatement. Before 2018 the last coach to finish his Milwaukee tenure with a record over .500 was George Karl, who last coached in 2003. That context makes the success of Mike Budenholzer even more outstanding.

He inherited a good team, but even so few were expecting the Bucks to be a powerhouse last season, let alone finish with the best record in the league. In 116 career regular-season games, Budenholzer has gone 89-27, a .767 winning percentage.

Scott Skiles and Jason Kidd both had longer tenures than Budenholzer has had, and each totaled more wins. Yet this occurred via sheer volume, not coaching acumen. What Bud has done is raise this roster to contention, giving them a defined identity on both ends of the court. That feat is rare in the NBA, and even more so in Milwaukee.

It is not unreasonable to say that Budenholzer is the franchise’s best coach since Don Nelson in the 1980s, even with his short tenure.

However he is not without his warts; while brilliant in implementing a system, he is inconsistent in changing that system for different situations, sometimes adjusting too quickly and other times much too slowly.

It’s also fair to recognize he is well behind Jason Kidd and Scott Skiles in total games and wins. Yet the quality of his coaching is by far the best, and while his team is talented, he is working to maximize their talent.