After a very disappointing season this past year, the Milwaukee Bucks and head coach Jason Kidd are “moving toward” a contract extension, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
In his very first season as a coach, Kidd led the Brooklyn Nets to a 44-38 record before being bounced in the second round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat. He was then traded to the Bucks for two first round picks and has amassed a record of 74-90 through two seasons. The 2014-15 Bucks finished 41-41 and took the Chicago Bulls to six games in the opening round of the playoffs, leading the organization and fanbase to have high expectations for coming seasons.
Some will argue that that team was less talented than this past year’s, whose disappointing season was attributed to a 33-49 record. They struggled on both sides of the ball, boasting an offensive efficiency of 102.2 per 100 possessions, and a defensive efficiency of 105.7, per NBA.com. Compounding with their poor play on the court, Milwaukee traded Brandon Knight in February of last year for Michael Carter-Williams, Tyler Ennis, and Miles Plumlee, a decision that was questionable, to say the least.
Despite some turmoil, it wasn’t all bad. The Bucks saw the maturation of Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker, and, most importantly, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Middleton was the team’s leading scorer at 18.2 points per game; Parker was healthy for almost the whole season and averaged 14.1 points and 5.2 boards per game and the Greek Freak showed, even more, flashes of the incredible potential he has and averaged 16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and shot 50.6% from the field, this included a stretch of five triple-doubles in 11 games.
Related: Giannis Antetokounmpo has monster triple-double
After signing a three-year, $50-million contract in the summer of 2015, Greg Monroe had one of his most productive seasons as a pro. At 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, Monroe was right in line with his career averages. A noticeable improve, though, was seen in his shooting. He shot 52% from the floor this year, the highest since he shot 55% as a rookie in 2010-11.
Woj also reported that current Jazz assistant GM Justin Zanik will be hired as the “general manager-in-waiting,” since current GM John Hammond has one year left on his contract.
