The Milwaukee Bucks and Doc Rivers are now parting ways following a disappointing 32-50 season. Obviously the 2026 NBA Draft and Ja Morant are the first two things that come to mind for Grizzlies fans. But this latest news should be worth watching due to a familiar name, Taylor Jenkins.
Taylor Jenkins first arrived in Memphis in 2019, after previously spending time in Atlanta and Milwaukee as an assistant coach. Jenkins went 250-214 overall and got off to a strong start as a developmental coach. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies had an epic collapse in the 2024-25 season that got Jenkins fired just 9 games before the playoffs.
The Grizzlies likely still made the right choice to move on
Despite this season being full of injuries and legitimate long-term questions about first-year head coach Tuomas Iisalo, the Grizzlies still likely made the right decision. Going into the 2024-25 season that eventually led to Jenkins being fired, the Grizzlies replaced most of his coaching staff, and Iisalo was one of the new members of the staff. The writing was on the wall for Jenkins: deliver results or the Grizzlies would go in a different direction.
Taylor Jenkins showed great promise as a talent developer but struggled to adjust as the expectations increased for the Grizzlies. As far as scheme and rotations went, the signs were not pointing to Jenkins eventually becoming a championship-level coach. Despite the Grizzlies making the mistake of not doing a deeper coaching search last summer, firing Jenkins is looking like the right decision.
It should be alarming that Jenkins did not coach in the NBA this season, but he should be one of the hottest names this summer.
Could there be a Jenkins and Morant reunion in Milwaukee?
Ok, I talked about this last week, but what if Taylor Jenkins and Ja Morant reunited in Milwaukee? Michael Scotto gave out some coaching intel earlier today and mentioned Milwaukee and Orlando as potential suitors for Taylor Jenkins. Scotto had to say the following about Jenkins and Milwaukee:
"Taylor Jenkins will almost assuredly draw interest from Milwaukee if their head coaching job becomes available. Jenkins will arguably be the most sought-after coach on the market and was previously an assistant coach under Mike Budenholzer when the Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019."
Given Jenkins' past history with the Bucks, it would not be surprising if he ended up prioritizing Milwaukee as he seeks his next head coaching job. Another factor to consider is that the Bucks already had some interest in Ja Morant at this past trade deadline. If Jenkins were to be hired by the Bucks, the talks of Milwaukee as a trade partner for Morant would only further intensify.
Obviously, the biggest priority for the fanbase is what happens within the Grizzlies organization. However, the Taylor Jenkins sweepstakes will be super interesting to monitor. Do not be surprised if the Bucks end up making Taylor Jenkins their next head coach.