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Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur had a very interesting offseason. After an ultimately disappointing run during the 2021 campaign, the 42-year-old shot-caller had to draw inspiration from somewhere as he looks to lead his Packers to a bounceback season in 2022. As it turns out, this came in the form of a discovery trip with the Milwaukee Bucks.
There aren't too similarities between football and basketball in terms of the tactical approach to the game. However, there's also no denying that there's so much to learn in terms of team dynamics, and this is exactly what LaFleur was able to pick up as he joined Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on a West Coast road trip back in March (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN):
“The biggest takeaway that I had was just from top to bottom, how aligned everybody is, how they communicate, and there’s a genuine care for one another,” LaFleur said. “I see it with [Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer] and his staff. I see it with the staff to the players. I see it from player to player. Watching these guys on the plane how they interact with one another. They’ve got really good people and obviously you better have talented players, that is like a prerequisite and that’s exactly what they have. But when their best players are their best people as well, it makes it a lot easier.
“Giannis is an unbelievable dude and, but you see it with everybody — Middleton and Jrue [Holiday] and Brook Lopez. All those guys are just legit dudes.”
One of the things that stood out for LaFleur is how the Bucks take the time to bond with each other off the court. Perhaps this is something that the Packers coach might apply to his own team:
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“They did a really cool thing where postgame they had a dinner with all the players, the coaches, their wives, players’ wives if they were traveling or players families if they were traveling where they basically close down a restaurant and just get everybody together,” LaFleur said. “Those are those special times that when you’re outside of work that you can help build that team chemistry that is imperative to help when you face a little bit of adversity.”
Apparently, Matt LaFleur also left quite an impression on Budenholzer. The two-time NBA champion coach had nothing but high praise for his NFL counterpart:
“One of the things that stood out to me about Matt, it feels like there’s a thirst for continuing to grow and be better and learn and be his best,” Budenholzer said. “To take that time and maybe go outside the box a little bit and just see if there’s anything that he could take to better his team, that’s a huge statement on who he is as a coach and a person.”
Coach Bud also noted that it was easy to build trust and a friendship with LaFelur despite their limited time together. LaFleur now has a new ally on his side — one that he can turn to for advice and support as he hopes to lead Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to a Super Bowl this coming season. After all, Budenholzer knows a thing or two about winning championships.
