After falling out of the postseason for the first time in a decade, the Milwaukee Bucks were back to the drawing board. No one expected it would be the Grizzlies drawing board though. But it looks like the Bucks are looking at a familiar face who has the experience with Giannis Antetokounmpo. And it’s coming right when Giannis may have hinted at his future regarding Milwaukee right when he’s about to get his fourth head coach. Doc Rivers stepped down as the head coach on the final game of the Bucks’ regular season. But before they decided if he’d stay on as an advisor, they’re zeroing on the next possible coaching hire.

According to The Athletic, the Bucks’ first and only candidate to replace Rivers so far is Taylor Jenkins. A name not too unfamiliar to longtime Bucks fans. The pursuit of Jenkins is more than a coaching search, but possibly a strategic attempt to reassure a restless superstar.

In a significant move that signals the urgency of the franchise’s offseason, Bucks owners Wes Edens and Jimmy Haslam, alongside General Manager Jon Horst, traveled to Memphis last week to hold formal talks with former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins. Jenkins was fired with only nine games remaining in the 2024-25 season but remained in Memphis with his family.

According to sources from The Athletic, the high-level meeting focused on a shared “vision for the future” as Milwaukee looks to reset following a disastrous 2025-26 campaign. Although no contract figures and deals were put on the table, it’s a significant move that the first candidate is a former employee during its most uncertain time yet.

The 41-year-old used to be the assistant coach of the Bucks under Mike Budenholzer from 2018 to 2019, whom he also worked with at the Atlanta Hawks. During his short Bucks tenure, the Bucks finished with a league-best 60 wins and clinched the no.1 seed in the East for the first time in 45 years. He’d not be around for the Bucks’ championship run because the Memphis Grizzlies hired him in 2019.

The Bucks could either be in a complete rebuild or getting pieces that will make their franchise cornerstone stay. It depends on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision. And that could be tied to the next head coach.

Giannis Antetokounmpo may be done with Milwaukee amid coaching hunt

This coaching pivot comes at a moment of maximum tension. Following the team’s failure to make the postseason, Antetokounmpo took to social media with a message that many are interpreting as a potential farewell to Wisconsin. “Year 13. This has been one of the toughest seasons of my career, but as they say, like a phoenix from the ashes, I’ll rise,” Antetokounmpo wrote. “To the city of Milwaukee, MY city, thank you for the unwavering love and support.”

The mention of “rising from the ashes” has ignited speculation about whether that resurrection will happen in a Bucks uniform or a different jersey entirely. The Bucks’ decision to target Jenkins reflects a desire to return to the culture of accountability that defined their 2021 championship run while Giannis is still in his prime.

All season-long, he has been demanding more effort from his teammates, coaching staff and the organization. He responded very cinematically against the Bucks trying to shut him down. Despite his claims that he doesn’t want to leave, he finally told Goran Dragic on his podcast that he’s going to start thinking about himself.

Ironically, a conspiracy theory suggests Giannis has always had a hand in the Bucks’ coaching ins and outs. Ironically, he had no idea that Doc Rivers had left the job until after the reporters told him. Although he denied it, this move could be seen as a last-minute effort to pair Giannis with a familiar face.

But Jenkins also signaled a revamp. His 250-214 head coaching record in Memphis, characterized by elite player development and four playoff appearances is a resume that’s hard to find in a head coach of only six seasons. Most Memphis fans haven’t even reconciled with the Grizzlies’ decision to fire him last season.

There’s an incentive for Bucks fans to welcome Jenkins as a potential new coach. Giannis recently shunned the “superficial” nature of Los Angeles, effectively ending rumors of a Lakers trade. Jenkins’ gritty coaching style that demands effort from a supporting cast might be what convinces Giannis to stay in Milwaukee for another run.