The Bucks have a new identity under Coach Adrian Griffin post draft

After the 2023 NBA draft, it seems to be quite clear that the Milwaukee Bucks will have a new identity going into the 2023-24 season. This is something that should breed plenty of excitement for fans.

The Milwaukee Bucks drafted Andre Jackson Jr. at #36 and Chris Livingston at #58 in the second round, respectively. Although neither of the two draft picks are elite talents, both appear to be athletic freaks. It is pretty safe to say that neither of these players would have been drafted under any of the previous five-year Mike Budenholzer-coached teams. His style of coaching was not exactly conducive to a player’s strength.

Getting younger and more athletic overall, specifically on the defensive side of the ball, seems to be the main goal in improving the roster for the upcoming season. These two draft picks clearly indicate that this is the direction new Head Coach Adrian Griffin and General Manager Jon Horst are looking to move in.

The bottom line is that if a player, especially a rookie, couldn’t shoot lights out, he was not capable of finding other ways for them to contribute on either end of the floor. Budenholzer was also not very good at developing young talent.

The Bucks have a new identity under Coach Adrian Griffin post draft

The new identity under coach Griffin appears as though it will be growing and developing young talent. Does this mean that the rookies will play meaningful minutes in the playoffs?

More than likely, the answer is no. This does not mean that they won’t get meaningful minutes during the regular season, though. Coach Griffin will hopefully allow them the opportunity to be a part of the rotation and prove themselves, which is something Budenholzer stubbornly refused to do.

Make no mistake, Jackson’s shooting needs plenty of work. Defensively, he is one of the most dynamic defenders in the draft and is also a great passer.

Under the tutelage of Coach Griffin and the rest of the coaching staff, Jackson could very well be the starting point or shooting guard for the Milwaukee Bucks sooner than later. He does everything well to elite, outside of shooting, which should improve under the guidance and coaching of Griffin and the rest of the staff.

Livingston, who will probably be more of a project in the NBA, easily could have been and probably should have been drafted earlier. Livingston has great physical makeup, is a great competitor, and is intelligent.

Jackson is a college national champion with experience in a big-time program at the University of Connecticut. General Manager Jon Horst referred to him as a Swiss army knife type of player.

He is a top-level athlete, great in the open floor, and knows how to play with great pace and decision-making. He is an overall high-character guy and player.

Horst indicated that when it comes to Griffin and the rest of the coaching staff’s opinion of the rookies is that there’s a little bit of hitting the ground running. The process so far has been very collaborative, with a lot of insight and opinions from the coaching staff regarding these two draft picks.

The Milwaukee Bucks are clearly not trying to build a roster like they have in the past. Adrian Griffin is a different coach who is going to implement a different system.

There are some core, non-negotiable areas and issues that the organization overall as a whole will always value, which Griffin is on board and aligned with. He is stressed and focused on energy, effort, defensive versatility, and being able to close out, switch and challenge.

Both Jackson Jr. and Livingston were drafted for a reason. It is no coincidence that these are the types of young, athletic players that the Bucks and Coach Griffin are trying to grow and develop in their system in terms of the style they want them to play.

In that sense, this is something that should be both exciting and refreshing to hear for Bucks fans. We can, and all should, look forward to watching these rookies learn, grow, develop, and, most importantly…see the floor and get valuable playing time.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.