NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said today that the Milwaukee Bucks have dismissed head coach Adrian Griffin. The first-year head coach had led the team to a 30-13 record and the second seed in the East, but defensive struggles throughout the season constantly being highlighted may have led to the front office pulling the trigger.
BREAKING: The Milwaukee Bucks dismissed coach Adrian Griffin, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/UK1MGlKyrY
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2024
Last night's 122-113 victory over the Detroit Pistons showed signs of a team managing to win games but with huge issues still to be addressed. Defensively, the struggles have been obvious; one of the elite teams without the ball is currently 22nd in defensive rating and has been in the bottom 10 defensively for the majority of the season.
Why did the Milwaukee Bucks fire Adrian Griffin?
The reason for his firing isn't immediately clear and came out of nowhere. In terms of on-court it does seem that the defensive struggles forever held Griffin back from the fact he had the Bucks sat in the second spot out East. Other contenders such as the Timberwolves, Celtics, Sixers and Thunder are all top 10 in defensive rating. The Bucks on the other hand were having to rely on hitting the 130-140 point mark to win games no matter their opponents.
Without speculating too much, there may have been some locker room and off-court issues too. We know about Bobby Portis challenging Griffin and his teammates after losing to the Pacers in the In-Season Tournament. Did the players lose faith in Griffin and his methods?
Moving forward in the short-term, assistant coach Joe Prunty will take over as interim coach, but the Bucks are expected to move quickly with appointing a new head coach, per Wojnarowski. The ESPN insider notes that they are "looking at a small pool of accomplished and veteran coaches already, with Doc Rivers being near the top of the list."
The Bucks are planning to quickly pursue a small pool of accomplished and available veteran head coaches -- with Doc Rivers near the top of the list, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/1a5y77Dcvd
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2024
Just seven months on from Griffin taking over as head coach, the Bucks are now looking for someone to come in and take them nearer to winning another NBA title.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis as we find out who will be the new head coach in the coming days.
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