If the New York Knicks want to land Giannis Antetocompo, that might be a good indication they’re looking at a coach who’s well-versed in him.
The New York Knicks have fallen completely off the rail in recent weeks. After a crushing loss in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks chose to go in a bold new direction.
The first step was to let go of Tom Thibodeau. Next was to find a decent head coach alternative. They first identified Jason Kidd among the other active head coaches in the NBA.
However, they changed their strategy after they were firmly rejected by all the teams they approached to interview their respective head coaches.
Now, their head coach hunt is locked up by two candidates, so they’re speeding things up. Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins will be interviewed by the Knicks in the coming days.
Despite Jalen Brunson’s previous supporter of Brown as coach, Jenkins may have a slight edge over his rivals. And that is because of his history with Giannis Antetocomo.
In 2018, after five years of stint as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks, Taylor Jenkins joined the Milwaukee Bucks’ coaching staff at Mike Budenholzer.
The one-year stint with the Bucks was extremely successful as they finished the season with a record of the NBA bests. In addition to that, Giannis Antetokounmpo was named League MVP.
The presence of Taylor Jenkins and Mike Budenholzer proved to be far more effective for Giannis. Looking at his figures in Jason Kidd’s final season with the Bucks and Giannis’ MVP year, we see that he has improved in almost every category.
| Statistics Categories | Season average (2017-18) | Season average (2018-19) |
| point | 26.9 | 27.7 |
| rebound | 10.0 | 12.5 |
| assist | 4.8 | 5.9 |
| I’ll steal | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| block | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Field goal rate | 52.9% | 57.8% |
| Free throw rate | 72.0% | 72.9% |
Jenkins made a considerable impression on the Bucks players. The team’s big stars Brooke Lopez and Chris Middleton had very good things to say about his stint with the Bucks.
Brook Lopez: “He has a really high basketball IQ, but that’s way beyond that. He really wants what’s best for the player.
Khrisis Medleton: “He’s not afraid to pull you to the side and talk to you from time to time, whether it’s good or bad,” he said of Jenkins. “He’s a gaming student and a learner, but he shares so much. He’s detailed oriented and it was good for us last year. This year should be great for them.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo has not recorded what he is talking about Jenkins, but he is a player who is very in harmony with what his coach is asking him. And given that the other Bucks All-Stars are talking about him, we can assume that Giannis also thinks him high.
After a great year of stint with the Bucks, Taylor Jenkins achieved success with the Memphis Grizzlies.
However, this year, after yet another strong run, the Grizzlies have surprisingly let him go. Now, as the Knicks are about to land Jenkins, he may get one of the most lucrative roles in the NBA.
Hiring Jenkins, a coach familiar to Giannis Antetokounmpo, could be a factor that will shake up the superstars. He is not currently fishing for the trade, but he was able to choose to make a move later.
And when that time comes, the Knicks uses Jenkins’ presence as a selling point. It might make negotiations with the Bucks a bit easier, but they’re sure to ask for a superstar like Jalen Branson.
Now they should prioritize hiring the best head coach. However, this may be the beginning of a route to getting Giannis Antetocompo in the New York Knicks.