More than a few Milwaukee Bucks fans were sad to see head coach Mike Budenholzer leave the team earlier this summer. After all, this was the same man who delivered the team to the promised land a couple of years ago when he led the Bucks to their first-ever franchise championship in 50 years.
One man who probably wasn’t crying about Coach Bud’s exit was Jae Crowder.
Jae Crowder on Milwaukee Bucks Last Season: ‘So Country Clubish’
When Milwaukee brought Crowder on last summer, he was expected to play a pivotal role for the squad. This was after the veteran swingman was a key player for both the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns during their respective Finals runs in 2020 and 2021.
Crowder ended up spending most of his time on the bench last season, playing a total of just 18 games throughout his debut year for Milwaukee. Injuries had a lot to do with his lack of opportunities but at the same time, there’s no denying that the 6-foot-6 small forward just didn’t fit in with Coach Bud’s plans.
In a recent interview, Crowder appears to have fired a veiled shot in the direction of Budenholzer over the team’s culture last season:
“I’ve been coming from situations where there is competition with one another before you even get on the court – it’s normal,” said Crowder, via Jim Owzcarsky of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“It was new for me to come here, and everything is so laid back last year and so country clubish. You need to push everybody. Iron sharpens another iron, so if you have players that are willing to challenge other players in practice, it only makes the game much easier.”
It sounds to me like Crowder clearly wasn’t happy with how the Bucks operated last season under Coach Bud.
Jae Crowder Sounds Off on New Era
It appears that this is all going to change now that Adrian Griffin is on board. The new coach has been breeding an intense level of competition between his players throughout training camp, and Crowder believes that this will only be beneficial for the Bucks:
“It’s a great environment,” Crowder continued. “It’s great competition. Everything is a competition. Everyone is trying to be their best and trying to win whatever drill it is. So it just brings out the best in everybody.”
It remains to be seen what type of role Crowder will play under Griffin, but it would be a shock if he isn’t able to make a bigger impact on the squad than he did last season.
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