Reaction to the Milwaukee Bucks hiring Adrian Griffin as head coach

After a lengthy interview process that involved over a dozen candidates, the Milwaukee Bucks have found their next head coach.

According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bucks plan to hire former Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin as their next head coach. Wow.

Reaction to the Milwaukee Bucks hiring Adrian Griffin as head coach

Out of the final three candidates, which included Griffin, Nick Nurse, and Kenny Atkinson, Griffin seemed like the least likely to get the job. He was the only potential first-time head coach among the bunch. Nurse has a championship on his resume, and Atkinson has worked with some of the best coaches to ever step foot on the court. It seemed inevitable that one of those two names would get the call to be the next coach of the Bucks due to their resumes. Yet, the Bucks clearly went with the rather unproven Griffin regardless.

One potential reason for the Bucks deciding on Griffin could be the influence of none other than Giannis Antetokounmpo. NBA insider Marc Stein (Subscription required) reported recently that the Greek Freak was a fan of Griffin in the Bucks’ coaching search. Potentially wanting to appease Giannis, the Bucks went with Griffin, though that is not the only factor that went into this decision.

There is some concern about Griffin’s status as a potential first-time head coach, given the Bucks’ contending aspirations. While he’s been a great assistant under some great minds, he has never held the reigns before, and he’s now expected to lead one of the premier contenders in the NBA. Hopefully he can bring some of that Nick Nurse coaching style to Milwaukee, which entails tough defense and keeping players well-conditioned. As a former player, perhaps he will be able to relate to players more as well, which is an underrated aspect of coaching in the NBA.

It’s quite a gamble, and it will be fascinating to see how it pays off for the Bucks next season as they look to bounce back from an embarrassing finish to the 2022-23 NBA season.

For now, welcome to Milwaukee, Adrian Griffin.

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