Defensive Disappointments Overwhelm Milwaukee Bucks, Doc Rivers Hired as New Head Coach
Photo Credit: Phil Long, Associated Press
Even though the Milwaukee Bucks sit at second place in the Eastern Conference and having won a commanding season-opening game against the Philadelphia 76ers (third seed in the Eastern Conference), Jon Horst and the Milwaukee Bucks made a statement announcing the firing of Adrian Griffin, their newest head coach.
While the Bucks currently maintain the second-best scoring offense in the NBA, shooting a blistering 37.7% from the three-point line (8th in the NBA), the Bucks have let up 120.5 points per game, good for the 25th rank in the NBA. Additionally, the Bucks are allowing 43.9 opponent rebounds per game, ranking 17th in the NBA, according to ESPN. Additionally, according to Pro Basketball Reference, the MIlwaukee Bucks have a defensive rating of 118.08, ranking 20th in the NBA.
Photo Credit: Morry Gash, Associated Press Photo
It’s clear that the Bucks’ defensive deficiencies overshadowed their ability to put the ball in the basket, leading Horst to make the decision to cut ties with Griffin.
Not too long after Griffin was removed from the Bucks organization, Milwaukee hired Doc Rivers to possibly unlock the teams’ full potential, both offensively and defensively. Over his full NBA coaching career, Rivers holds a 1097-763 regular-season record, with a winning percentage of .590. The height of Rivers’ career was in the 2007-2008 NBA season, when Rivers led the Celtics to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Most recently, in three seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, Rivers led the team to a 154-82 record, holding a win percentage of .653, all according to Pro Basketball Reference.
Photo Credit: Frank Franklin II, Associated Press Photo
The only point of concern with Rivers, however, is his measly 111-104 record in the playoffs and his crushing playoff exits with the Clippers and most recently the 76ers. Specifically, Rivers wasn’t able to finish a 3-1 Western Conference Semifinal lead against the Denver Nuggets in 2020, while also losing a 3-2 series lead over the Boston Celtics when having a chance to end the series at home, according to Pro Basketball Reference.
The only question that remains is whether Rivers favors this NBA coaching opportunity over his current position as an analyst alongside Mike Breen.