Milwaukee Bucks' general manager Jon Horst says the team's expectations have changed

The Bucks' elevated expectations may have played a role in the ouster of erstwhile-head coach Mike Budenholzer.

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The job of an NBA general manager is never easy. It’s a seemingly endless balancing act of juggling contracts, collecting and analyzing player data, and staying ahead of the competition in the ever-changing landscape that is the NBA. For Milwaukee Bucks’ general manager Jon Horst, his job became even more stressful when he had to let go of erstwhile head coach Mike Budenholzer, who he had quite a meaningful relationship with.

Difficult decision

Budenholzer was eventually let go last week after failing to lead the Bucks—a team that fans experts alike touted to win the NBA title this season—past the first round of the NBA Playoffs, falling to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat. The crushing decision came just a couple of years after Budenholzer led the Bucks to the 2021 NBA title. However, that glowing achievement failed to stunt the devastating blow of this season’s Playoff exit.

Horst was left between a rock and a hard place on whether or not he should let go of Budenholzer, who he considers a friend. In the end, Horst had to pull the plug and start anew.

“I think you’re all aware of kind of the personal connection and all the things we’ve been able to do together, the partnership that we’ve had, so this is a very difficult decision, organizational decision,” Horst said. “His friendship means a lot to me, and obviously, all that means a lot to me. So this was difficult.”

Elevated expectations

The Bucks have been a legitimate title contender for several years now. While last season was marred by numerous severe injuries to key cogs such as Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton that severely hampered their Playoff run, this season was supposed to be a different story.

With Giannis Antetokounmpo entering his prime and surrounded by some of the best role players in the league, many expected Milwaukee to be among the favorites for an NBA championship. However, the Bucks caught a bad time to play out of sorts and paid dearly for it. Now, Horst is going to take a chance on giving the Bucks a brand-new leader and mentor in their attempt to reclaim the championship hunt.

“I think that’s where the refocus and re-energize opportunity comes. To look at this team in a different way and look at this opportunity in a different way and hopefully unlock some more potential with this team,” explained Horst.

“The expectation has evolved and grown over the course of time where we expect to be in a position each and every year. From a regular season perspective, we’ve done some incredible things. And that matters. You care about the regular season. It’s really hard to win an 82-game regular season. It takes a lot to do that. And the playoffs matter an awful lot, too."

“I think, ultimately, we just haven’t ended these seasons and these runs and these opportunities to contend in the way that we want or expect. And, those expectations have changed over the course of time.”