The Milwaukee Bucks‘ season officially came to an end on Sunday night following a 126-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bucks’ campaign ended with a disappointing 32-50 record, but it also marked the end of Doc Rivers‘ tenure as head coach.
The 2025-26 season has been a harrowing one for the Milwaukee Bucks. With several things going wrong and his tenure coming to an end after three years, Doc Rivers revealed his true feelings on the Bucks’ performance this season during his postgame media availability.
“I’ve personally enjoyed the challenge. It didn’t go the way I wanted it to go, obviously. I always say I could do a better job. We could have had better health. We could have had all kinds of things. I’m not a big guy at looking back. All you can do is look forward,” Rivers shared.
“We did a lot of things to improve a lot of the young guys. Unfortunately, that was the road that kind of presented itself for us, and we did that.”
This season was laced with misfortune for the Bucks. Aside from the trade rumor drama that plagued the team in the offseason and continued to ravage Milwaukee in the regular season, the Bucks were riddled with injuries. With their superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, sidelined for significant stretches, the season was effectively snakebitten from the start.
While the team’s poor record wasn’t necessarily Doc Rivers’ fault, he did not achieve enough during his tenure as head coach. With a 97-103 record and two first-round exits before missing the playoffs altogether this year, Rivers’ time in Milwaukee was underwhelming.
Doc Rivers Could Remain Involved With The Bucks
Although it came as a surprise to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Doc Rivers’ term as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks has ended. With reports suggesting that the franchise and the future Hall of Famer mutually agreed to part ways, it can be assumed the decision was amicable.
While this marks the end of Doc Rivers’ tenure as head coach, rumors suggest that he may remain involved with the Bucks in a different capacity. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Rivers may move into a consultant role with the Bucks next season.
“The rising expectation in league coaching circles is that Doc Rivers will not be back on the Bucks bench next season… he has one season left on his contract, but they could just make him a consultant; they can find a way to work through that and ask him to do a different role,” Stein mentioned.
Stein’s prediction about Doc Rivers’ job status eventually came true. However, should Milwaukee opt to move the former champion head coach to a consultant role, it may prove valuable in helping the Bucks become a competitive team again.
With Rivers out of the equation, the Bucks now face a vacancy in the head coach role. While several worthy candidates may be identified, Stein noted that former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins has emerged as a frontrunner, although many teams have also shown an interest in signing him.
Given that the Bucks’ offseason is underway, the rebuilding process is likely to begin soon.
