Of all of the transformative elements that defined the Milwaukee Bucks’ glowing success throughout the 2018-19 season, their defensive turnaround was one that was a long time coming.
From the moment he arrived in Milwaukee after being hired by the Bucks in May 2018, Mike Budenholzer identified the opportunity to “unlock the Bucks’ talent defensively” as he said during his introductory press conference alongside general manager Jon Horst some 16 months ago.
Needless to say, Budenholzer and his coaching staff held true to that promise as the Bucks rose all the way to top of the league in terms of defensive efficiency last season after finishing 18th in that category under both Jason Kidd and Joe Prunty the previous year, per NBA.