Doc Rivers recently sat down with ESPN's Tim Legler for a segment and discussed his offensive game plans. Rivers broke down a play from last season's playoffs that got AJ Green an open three after using Giannis Antetokounmpo as a decoy, which showed his own great coaching and the hidden advantage of having such a dominant superstar.
Grateful for the time to sit down with Doc Rivers re: Bucks’ outlook & to get into the film room to discuss some of their actions.
— Timothy Legler (@LegsESPN) October 15, 2025
I spoke with every NBA head coach and we will be giving you all of those convos. Great stuff pic.twitter.com/mGINKqAsYP
Doc Rivers is a criminally underrated coach
It's become popular these days to say that Rivers is a terrible head coach, still coasting off a 2008 championship. But the truth is that he has been a good coach for decades and is seventh on the NBA's all-time coaching wins standings. He's led teams with vastly different rosters to great regular season success and is more than capable of doing the same with the Bucks this season.
In this segment, Rivers emphasized the importance of having multiple great shooters to occupy the defense's attention and get at least one of them a great look. He also details how setting up Giannis as an on-ball screener distracts all five defenders and leads to an open shot. For all the flak that he gets for being an antiquated coach, it's clear in this clip that Rivers has evolved with the NBA and understands how to run a modern offense.
This season, the Bucks have built their roster on Giannis and shooting. The team has an abundance of sharpshooters, highlighted by the uber-efficient AJ Green. Rivers has prior experience getting the league's best shooters open, as he references in this video. Previously with the Clippers, he drew up many plays for JJ Redick and Ray Allen in Boston even earlier. He will draw on those years of wisdom to spring his shooters open this season when opposing defenses are least prepared for them.
Giannis is expected to carry an incredible multi-faceted load this season as the team's offensive engine. He could very well lead the league and take another leap in his playmaking without a star second option. But it would be a surprise to see him play as an off-ball decoy, which is exactly what makes this adjustment by Rivers so exciting. It's the last thing that defenses will be preparing for, and it can create an unexpected advantage either throughout a game or especially on a clutch play.
The Bucks will do all they can to squeeze surprise advantages out of their opponents this season. For teams that expect them to run a simple offense through Giannis at all times, the actual game plan may be a rude awakening. Doc Rivers' unexpected offensive brilliance can be yet another way for the Bucks to surprise other teams en route to a terrific underdog season.