Scott Brooks is ready for another close-up.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that the Milwaukee Bucks have secured permission to interview Brooks for their head coaching job. Brooks is currently an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers, a position he has held for the last two seasons.
NBA Coach of the Year in 2010, Brooks first rose to coaching prominence as head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He led the team to four 50-plus win seasons, four division titles, and an NBA Finals berth in 2012. Brooks then went on to become head coach for the Washington Wizards, earning another division title and three more postseason berths. He has a career record of 521-414 (.557) but was fired from both above-mentioned jobs.
Brooks is not highly regarded as a strategist but has a strong reputation in the leadership and player development categories. The Bucks, looking for a successor to Mike Budenholzer, may need to consider the long-term picture. Their core around Giannis Antetokounmpo — like Khris Middleton (almost 32), Jrue Holiday (almost 33), and Brook Lopez (actually 35) — is aging.
A lot will be riding on Milwaukee’s head coaching decision, and there are several other well-known candidates too. But Brooks has 12 seasons of NBA head coaching experience and figures to get a fair amount of consideration.
