The Milwaukee Bucks have interviewed at least 15 head coaching candidates according to ESPN and have narrowed the search down to three.
With respect to Golden State Warriors assistant, Kenny Atkinson and Toronto Raptors assistant, Adrian Griffin, the next Head Coach of the Bucks should be Nick Nurse.
A simple look at the resume tells the story.
Nurse, in his first year as Head Coach of the Raptors in 2019, led the team to an NBA title. Nurse inherited a veteran team with all-stars and role players and ended the Bucks season in the eastern conference finals despite trailing two games to none.
In 2020, Nurse was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year.
If Nurse is so good, why is he available?
Players on a relatively young Raptors team spoke about a lack of accountability and structure for a team that played, and lost, in the NBA’s playoff play-in game in April.
What was an issue in Toronto will not likely be an issue in Milwaukee where the Bucks are the oldest team in the league. A roster that understands what it takes to win a championship and where the self-policing nature of the players is respected.
Griffin is a rising assistant and Atkinson’s Head Coaching experience with the Brooklyn Nets shows one playoff appearance and a sub-500 record.
Simply put, Griffin and Atkinson may be ready, but neither would represent an upgrade over Mike Budenholzer.
Nick Nurse would.
