Jenkins and Giannis are on the same page.
Taylor Jenkins is back in Milwaukee, and the first question waiting for him at the door was about the man wearing No. 34.
The Bucks brought Jenkins in as their 19th head coach on April 30 to replace Doc Rivers, who stepped down after a 32-50 season that ended a nine-year playoff streak.
Jenkins coached the Memphis Grizzlies from 2019 to 2025 and went 250-214 before getting fired with nine games left in his sixth year.
Before that, he spent 2018-19 as an assistant on Mike Budenholzer's Milwaukee staff, the year the Bucks went 60-22 and reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
So this is not some outsider walking in cold.
He has real history with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and that history matters more than usual at a moment when nothing about the star's future feels settled.
A Quote That Cuts Through The Noise
Jenkins went on SiriusXM NBA Radio earlier this week and got asked the question everybody wanted answered.
"Giannis and I have a great relationship," Jenkins said. "Great communication so far. He's been so welcoming to me."
That's not nothing for a Bucks team staring down a defining offseason with Giannis sitting at the middle of every conversation.
The two-time MVP averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in 36 games while battling calf and knee issues, and his frustration with the roster spilled into public view for months.
What Jenkins Can Realistically Do In Year One
Nobody should be expecting a 60-win turnaround in year one.
Jenkins is taking over a roster that finished 12th in the East and has serious questions to answer before the June 23 draft.
What he can do early is fix the smaller stuff, things like setting a real identity, defining roles, and rebuilding the locker room culture Giannis was publicly questioning all year.
He built a real thing in Memphis around Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., enough that he left as the winningest coach in Grizzlies history.
Why Giannis Should Stay And See It Through
Giannis is still owed $58.5 million next season, has a player option for 2027-28, and can sign a four-year, $275 million extension starting October 1.
Walking into a fresh start with a coach he already trusts, in the only NBA city he has ever called home, beats forcing his way out before Jenkins even runs a training camp.
Giannis told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Jenkins is "an incredible person" and "an incredible coach," and remember, these two went to the Eastern Conference Finals together in 2019.
One full season of that partnership is a fair ask before pulling the cord on a total rebuild somewhere else.
The conversation between them is not over.
If Jenkins backs his words up with a roster move or two this summer, Milwaukee actually has a shot at keeping its best player around.