On Tuesday morning, new Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin and GM Jon Horst held their first press conference following the confirmation of Griffin as the new head coach. The Athletic’s Eric Nehm was in attendance and confirmed that many players were in attendance, including MarJon Beauchamp, Jevon Carter, and Joe Ingles.
Griffin returns to Milwaukee as the head coach following a stint as assistant from 2008 to 2010. His career since has seen him spend time with the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder and most recently the Toronto Raptors and being part of the staff in their 2018-19 title win.
Here are three key takeaways from Adrian Griffin’s first press conference as the Milwaukee Bucks head coach.
1 – He wants to be defensive-minded but with a new offensive approach
Griffin is known as being a strong defensive-minded coach, and if one ties that in with the already stellar defense of the Bucks, it could be a fantastic recipe for success. During his tenure in Toronto, the Raptors finished top 10 in defensive rating on three occasions, with 12th and 15th place finishes also in there, showing he has a strong eye for defense and will look to build on an already strong team.
One key quote from Griffin was, “I think being a defensive coach helps you on the offensive end.” He continued to take about the importance of pressuring opponents defensively in order to help build the offensive game. Horst described Griffin as being able to show variability in his coaching methods and that he excelled in displaying that, thus being a key reason for him landing the top spot.
Another key that let the Bucks down in the playoffs was the inability to slow players down when they’re hot, e.g. Jimmy Butler. Griffin discussed making adjustments mid-game on both ends of the floor, and that is something that will please many of us Bucks fans. Offensively, he mentioned improving the ball movement and the player movement both on and off the ball, yet again being music to Bucks fans’ ears.
If Griffin is able to implement his way of defense and slow opponents down whilst bringing a new style to the offense to freshen things up, then the Bucks will be in for a successful time under his stewardship.