Jenkins understands that there are some pieces to work with.
The Milwaukee Bucks went 32-50 this season, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and watched Doc Rivers step down not long after the final game.
It was a rough ending to what had been nearly a decade of consistent winning, and the coaching search that followed carried real weight.
Taylor Jenkins was hired on April 30 and formally introduced Wednesday at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
The presser was dominated by questions about Giannis Antetokounmpo's future and whether a full rebuild is on the way.
Jenkins kept steering the conversation somewhere else.
Jenkins Spent His Year Off Studying the Bucks
"I love the depth of this team," Jenkins said. "Even in small sample sizes, not just seeing the amazing talent, but there's a competitive nature there and that's what I want to unlock even more."
On paper, that sounds like coach-speak from a guy trying to stay positive about a team that finished 11th in the East.
But Jenkins ran the Grizzlies for six seasons and went 250-214 in Memphis before getting fired with nine games left in 2025.
He took the past year to study rosters around the league, and the Bucks kept pulling his attention even as they stumbled through a losing season.
A Roster With More Than People Think
The talent in Milwaukee this year was better than the record suggested.
Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists across 36 games before a knee injury shut him down in March, and even without him the Bucks got production from unexpected places.
Myles Turner averaged 11.9 points and 1.6 blocks in 71 games while stretching the floor at 38.3 percent from three during his first season with the team.
Ryan Rollins broke out with 17.3 points and 5.6 assists on 40.6 percent from deep, Bobby Portis gave them 13.7 points and 6.4 rebounds before a wrist injury ended his year, and guys like Kyle Kuzma, Cole Anthony and AJ Green filled roles that gave Jenkins a lot more to work with than most 32-win rosters offer.
The talent was there, but the structure around it was not, and that gap pretty much defined the entire season under Rivers.
Why Jenkins Could Unlock This Group
Jenkins built his reputation in Memphis by developing players.
He turned Ja Morant into a two-time All-Star, helped Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. grow into reliable starters, and created a defensive identity that carried the Grizzlies to three straight postseason runs.
Milwaukee finished this season with a 119.3 defensive rating, 27th in the NBA, so the need for that type of coaching is obvious.
He also already knows Giannis from his year as an assistant under Mike Budenholzer in 2018-19.
General manager Jon Horst moved fast to lock Jenkins in on a deal worth north of $10 million a year, and whether Giannis stays or gets traded this summer, Jenkins is betting he can get more out of this group than people expect.