The decision by the Bucks to terminate first-year head coach Adrian Griffin was not impulsive; it emerged after months of lackluster team performance. Internal concerns had been mounting about the significant drop of their once-elite defense, the problematic integration of newcomer Damian Lillard, and a prevailing worry that the team, initially considered a strong title contender, would fall short if no changes were made.
The doubts about Griffin's leadership abilities intensified after the In-Season Tournament in December, where the Bucks suffered a loss to the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas. This prompted internal discussions about the need for a change. And just like that, Griffin is out, and Doc Rivers, who stepped in as a consultant earlier in the season, is in. The Bucks signed Doc Rivers as the franchise’s new head coach, in a four-year deal worth around $40 million. But how did things go so wrong so quickly? And how does a 2-seed fire their coach mid-season. Let’s dive into to it. But first, to help the channel continue to grow, please subscribe. And thank you.
Troubles emerged early in the seasons for Griffin, a 49-year-old with 15 seasons of NBA assistant coaching experience across five teams following a nine-year playing career. The spotlight first fell on Griffin when first-year assistant coach Terry Stotts resigned on October 19, 2023, just one day before the team's preseason finale.
Stotts' departure was influenced by various factors, with a culmination of underlying issues surfacing after a brief verbal altercation during a shootaround in Oklahoma City on October 17th. According to league sources, Stotts and Griffin had persistent disagreements regarding his role and responsibilities as an assistant. The perceived disrespect in that situation became the tipping point for Stotts. Regardless of the reasons for Stotts' exit, losing the most experienced voice on Griffin's coaching staff was an unquestionable setback.
With Stotts gone and the Bucks still in search of their identity, especially after reaching the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament, the franchise reached out to Doc Rivers. The intention was to bring in a seasoned coaching figure to assist Griffin in navigating the challenges and finding a successful path forward through the season.
Before heading to Las Vegas, the Bucks boasted a 15-6 record, prompting leadership to organize a meeting between Griffin and Rivers, who was working as a broadcaster for ESPN during the In-Season Tournament. According to league sources, the organization believed that Rivers, a seasoned 24-year NBA head coach and a champion with the Celtics in 2008, could provide valuable advice and guidance to Griffin as he navigated his inaugural NBA season with high expectations and a team geared for a championship. I mean it makes sense. Throughout his coaching career, Doc has coached several teams with highly talented players, and the Bucks were entering that realm with the addition of Damian Lillard.
Following a disappointing loss to the Pacers in Las Vegas, the Bucks rebounded with a seven-game winning streak, seemingly steadying the ship during a solid four-game road trip around Christmas. However, challenges resurfaced in the new year. Team sources revealed that players began to question Griffin's strategies on both ends of the court, expressing doubts about the nightly game plan.
While players initially exhibited patience with Griffin, acknowledging the learning curve due to significant personnel changes at the season's start, their concerns intensified as the team failed to demonstrate substantial growth by the midway point of the season.
Team sources indicate that Griffin faced various challenges in the early stages of his tenure, encompassing the task of devising effective strategies on both ends of the court to unlock the Bucks' championship potential and effectively communicating his vision to players for execution on the floor. However, given the high stakes of the Bucks' current era, executive leadership found the growing concern over Griffin's ability to be a question too significant to ignore any longer.
Throughout this season, the Bucks grappled with defensive struggles, marking a departure from their status as one of the league's top defensive teams for five consecutive seasons under former coach Mike Budenholzer. At the time this video is published, the Bucks hold the 19th rank in defensive rating, allowing 116.3 points per 100 possessions. The tipping point for frustrations regarding the team's defense occurred after a 122-116 loss to the Houston Rockets at the beginning of January.
Following that defeat, Giannis Antetokounmpo expressed his concerns about the Bucks' defensive issues in a borderline rant for seven and a half minutes (Show quotations: https://theathletic.com/5184098/2024/01/07/giannis-bucks-defense-rockets/).
The frustrations persisted on Jan. 17, as the Bucks suffered a 40-point defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a game in which Antetokounmpo was absent due to a right shoulder contusion. The team, which entered the season with the buzz of the Damian Lillard trade, began to falter. This loss marked the fifth in a nine-game stretch, including consecutive defeats to the Pacers at the start of the month, with the humiliating loss to the Cavs highlighting the team's troubles.
Significantly, the decline in their once-stalwart defense, a trademark of their title-contending seasons under Budenholzer, was underscored by the recent Cavaliers game, suggesting that the Bucks have not lived up to the lofty expectations set for them—expectations shared by key decision-makers within the organization.
Despite holding the 2-spot in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks, three years removed from their historic championship and with Giannis Antetokounmpo expressing his commitment through a three-year, $186 million extension, are held to a higher standard in Milwaukee. Merely winning regular-season games no longer suffices.
The dismissal of Budenholzer, the winningest coach in the NBA from 2018-23, signaled the Bucks' intent for Griffin to contend for championships. While Griffin's hiring represented a calculated risk, acknowledging his need for developmental time as a head coach, his numerous challenges ultimately led to his downfall. The big loss to the Cavaliers appears to have served as a tipping point.
While Dame and Giannis have struggled at times to show synergy on the court, a game where Giannis was sitting could have been the opportune moment to unleash Lillard, allowing him the offensive freedom he enjoyed during his years in Portland. Instead, after the Cavaliers surged to a 22-2 lead in the first quarter, Lillard concluded the game with only 17 points on 7-of-20 shooting, accompanied by minus-26 rating.
Khris Middleton, the three-time All-Star for the Bucks, grappling with a challenging adjustment period this season, encountered a difficult outing by missing 9 of 10 shots and registering a minus-40 box plus minus. The struggles extended beyond Middleton, and even in Giannis’s absence, this performance undoubtedly posed challenges for Griffin.
On the offensive front, the Bucks have generally performed well this season. At the time, boasting an average of 124.2 points per game and scoring 120.5 points per 100 possessions, they stand as the league's second-most effective and efficient offense, trailing only the Pacers. However, despite their successful scoring, there's a sense of disjointedness in their offensive approach, specifically capitalizing on two offensive juggernauts in Antetokounmpo and Lillard.
There has also been reports that Lillard has faced challenges this season in adapting to the Bucks' offensive dynamics. While he’s demonstrated patience with coaches and teammates, there existed an inherent pressure on Griffin from the organization to optimize Lillard's talents, thus justifying the decision to part ways with Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, and three first-round picks to acquire him.
Throughout the season, Lillard's usage rate stands at 26.9, a significant drop not only from his final season in Portland (where he achieved a career-high mark of 33.1) but also notably lower than Giannis’s rate of 32.2, ranking third in the NBA. Middleton follows as the third-highest on the Bucks with a usage rate of 23.6.
Despite Lillard being one of only eight players averaging at least 25 points, six assists, and four rebounds this season, his efficiency has taken a significant hit. There's been a decline in his overall field-goal percentage (46.3 to 42.7) and three-point proficiency (37.1 to 35.1). Is that because of the Bucks offense? Or does represent an offensive decline for the 33-year-old?
Since December 21 to the time of Griffin’s departure, Lillard's scoring has decreased to 23.5 points per game, and his shooting efficiency has dipped to 40.4 percent from the field and 31 percent from three. Griffin's challenges in fostering better on-court cohesion among his top players on the offensive end remained a source of contention until his departure.
On the defensive end, the Bucks' struggles were even more noticeable, with some challenges anticipated because the changes in the team's defensive personnel.
At the beginning of the season, Griffin implemented an aggressive defensive strategy reminiscent of the units he previously orchestrated as the top assistant and defensive coordinator under Nick Nurse in Toronto. However, after a 130-111 loss in Toronto during the fourth game of the season, a group of experienced players approached Griffin. They conveyed that the aggressive scheme did not align with the team's personnel and recommended reverting Brook Lopez, the 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, to playing drop coverage in pick-and-rolls. The suggestion involved having Lopez stay closer to the rim during defensive possessions rather than engaging in trapping or switching near the 3-point line.
Adjusting Lopez's responsibilities proved beneficial for the Bucks, helping them stabilize defensively after a challenging start to the season. Nevertheless, consistent defensive stops remained elusive. Up to this point, Griffin and his coaching staff struggled to devise a scheme that addressed personnel issues and effectively capitalized on the defensive strengths of Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo, a five-time NBA All-Defensive Team honoree and the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year.
Despite several press-conference pleas from Giannis for improved defensive efforts, the Bucks continued to demonstrate weak defense, including a loss to Utah where they let 132 points, and even though they won against Detroit recently, they allowed the 4-38 Pistons score 135 points in a narrow victory. In January, the Bucks allowed 122.1 points per 100 possessions, ranking 28th in defensive rating for the month.
Now, with Griffin's departure, the Bucks must navigate a path to correct their course and position themselves to contend for an NBA championship this season. Doc Rivers undoubtably brings a level of experience that Griffin lacked, but Doc has also been known to come up short as the coach of star-studded teams.
Do you the Bucks can make a push to the finals this year? And was Adrian Griffin’s firing unwarranted?