Is Mike Budenholzer in the hot seat after the early exit from the NBA Playoffs?

Milwaukee's coaching situation is a hot topic of debate for this off-season.

© Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Some time has passed since the Milwaukee Bucks’ spectacular collapse in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and one of the questions on a lot of people’s minds is: Is Coach Mike Budenholzer in danger of losing his job? 

The news that came out regarding coach Budenholzer's personal life troubles really shined the light on why maybe the Bucks' head tactician wasn't completely in the series and on the top of his game. But despite that, the coaching position of the Bucks could be up for grabs this summer.

According to a report by renowned NBA insider Shams Charania, Bud’s feet are certainly on shaky ground in the wake of the tactical decisions that he made all series long against the eighth-seeded Miami Heat.

“Mike Budenholzer’s status as Bucks head coach is very much shaky, there are questions across the organization… I’m told Budenholzer has two years and $16 million left on his contract.”

NBA Insider @ShamsCharania reports on Milwaukee following its disappointing playoff exit. pic.twitter.com/WhmEtPNR5R

— The Rally (@TheRally) April 27, 2023

Lack of adjustments

When your team’s star player starts talking about the lack of defensive adjustments against a Miami Heat squad that was, by and large, leaning on the exploits of one man (Jimmy Butler), then that’s a surefire sign of the head coach not being able to adjust on the fly. The former Marquette star was firing on all cylinders all series long, yet the Bucks kept on relying on single coverage until the very end.

As a matter of fact, Milwaukee threw a double-team at Butler just seven times and none in the series-deciding Game 5, where the latter poured in 42 points.

Crucial non-timeouts

With 0.5 of a second left in regulation and the game tied at 118-all, the Bucks had possession and a timeout to map out a potential game-winning score. Granted, 0.5 is not much time, but it is enough to create an opportunity. However, Bud eschewed calling a timeout, and Giannis ended up throwing the ball from past the halfcourt line to no avail. Bud had a chance to right his wrong in overtime when the Bucks got a stop and had the ball with nine seconds left and down two.

Perfect time to call a timeout and save the season, right? Wrong. Bud did not call one, and the season ended with Grayson Allen not even getting a shot off before the buzzer ended, signaling the departure of the Bucks from the playoffs.

No way Mike Budenholzer keeps his job. Didn't call a timeout with 0.9 seconds left in regulation and you don't get a shot off.

Then you have two timeouts left in OT and your team is scrambling with seconds left. And you don't get a shot off again.

Horrible!

Horrible Coaching

— 🙌🏾 407CanesCowboys ✭ (@407JayG) April 27, 2023

The Bucks organization has a lot of questions on their minds right now, and one might be: are they better off without Bud at the helm? Only time will tell if the Bucks pull the plug on Bud and if a new coach can get the most out of this talented roster.