NBA Rumors: Giannis, Bucks Vets ‘Had Lost Faith in’ Adrian Griffin Before Firing

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The Milwaukee Bucks shocked the basketball world when they fired head coach Adrian Griffin on Tuesday, but his ouster was reportedly on the horizon for quite some time.

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reported that there have been “steady rumblings for weeks in NBA circles” that several Bucks veterans, including star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, “had lost faith in” Griffin before his firing.

“According to team sources, the issues plaguing Griffin’s early tenure ranged from putting together strong schemes on both ends of the floor for the Bucks to fulfill their championship potential to successfully communicating his vision to his players for them to execute it on the floor,” The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Shams Charania and Eric Nehm added. “But the bottom line, given the high stakes of this Bucks era, the concern over Griffin’s ability became a question too big for the Bucks’ executive leadership to withstand any longer.”

Additionally, The Athletic reported Damian Lillard “spent much of this season struggling with the way the Bucks function on the offensive end.”

As a first-year head coach, it sounds like Griffin wasn’t a good fit with a veteran-laden team like the Bucks. After acquiring Lillard to pair with Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee was all-in on chasing a championship this year. It’s apparent the team lost confidence that Griffin would be able to lead the team to a title despite his early-season success.

Griffin was fired despite the Bucks having the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 30-13. However, Milwaukee has faced one of the easiest schedules in the league so far, and Tankathon ranks the team first in remaining schedule strength.

The Bucks have the second-best offense in the league with 124.6 points per game, but their defense ranks 25th with 120.5 points allowed per game. That doesn’t bode well for Milwaukee as its schedule gets more difficult.

Now, the Bucks will turn their attention to pursuing a veteran with prior coaching experience. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported that Doc Rivers “has emerged as a serious candidate” to become the team’s next head coach.

The Bucks will return to action on Wednesday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers. Joe Prunty will be the team’s interim head coach until Milwaukee finds a permanent replacement for Griffin.