Doc Rivers vs Adrian Griffin: Closer look into Milwaukee Bucks’ coaching conundrum as 2008 championship-winning HC accounts for more losses

The Milwaukee Bucks have been the center of attention since they dismissed Adrian Griffin as head coach and appointed Doc Rivers in his place. This change in leadership led to significant issues for the Bucks, as they had to adjust their approach. Mid-season personnel changes are always challenging, and Milwaukee is now experiencing the consequences.

Under the new leadership of Griffin, who replaced Mike Budenholzer after he was fired by the front office, the season began for the franchise. The Bucks thrived under their new coach, achieving a record of 30-13. However, it was alleged internal issues that ultimately led to his departure from the team.

After being dismissed by the Philadelphia 76ers following the 2022-23 season due to his inability to guide the team beyond the second round, Rivers was brought on board. At the time of his hiring, the former player-turned-head coach was already a member of the ESPN broadcast team, alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke.

Despite coaching top-tier talent with the LA Clippers and Sixers, Rivers has not been able to replicate his success from his time with the Boston Celtics where he won a championship in 2008 and led the organization to contention in multiple seasons. In comparison to Griffin, he has not been a winning coach since leaving the Celtics.

Since joining the Bucks, Rivers has a record of 15-14. While there is a smaller sample size for the current head coach compared to Griffin, he has already accumulated more losses in a shorter period of time. Sources reveal that the team’s offensive performance has decreased under his leadership, dropping from 122.1 to 116.5.

Doc Rivers (14) officially has more losses than Adrian Griffin’s tenure as the Milwaukee Bucks head coach (13). With Doc, the Bucks have gone 14-14. byu/Dazzling-Reason-5140 innba

Despite his defensive rating of 114.0, Rivers did not have a negative impact on the team’s performance. As the playoffs near, all attention is on the Bucks and the performance of their head coach. With a history of not advancing past the second round, he will need to demonstrate that he was the right choice for the team.

Doc Rivers reacts to the Milwaukee Bucks’ struggles on the road

In the previous eight road games, the Milwaukee Bucks have experienced six losses, much to the disappointment of fans. Surprisingly, some of these defeats came at the hands of lower-ranked teams. Following their most recent loss to the Washington Wizards, the second-weakest team in the Eastern Conference, Rivers spoke about the team’s challenges.

“We don’t bring the necessary professionalism and seriousness on the road. And that’s something that we can fix. And that’s something we’re going to have to fix,”Rivers said.

If there is an opportune moment to address their issues with road games, it is now. With the playoffs looming, it is crucial to ensure that the team is prepared to potentially play more than two games in each series by coming together on the road.