Introduction
Adrian Griffin was in his first season as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA.
The Milwaukee Bucks decided to let go of Griffin after 43 games.
Team Performance
The Bucks had a strong start with a 30-13 record, tying them for the league’s second-best record with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Currently, the Bucks are 3 1/2 games behind the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
Interim Coach
Assistant coach Joe Prunty is expected to be named the interim coach for the Bucks.
Prunty, a longtime assistant coach, has served as an interim coach in Milwaukee and Atlanta before.
Defensive Concerns
Concerns about the Bucks’ defensive performance raised questions about their championship contender status.
The Bucks currently rank 22nd in the NBA in defensive rating, a significant drop from their fourth position the previous year.
Player Acquisitions
The Bucks acquired seven-time all-NBA guard Damian Lillard before the season to pair with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Playoff Elimination
The coaching change occurred after the Bucks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season.
Adrian Griffin’s Background
Adrian Griffin, 49, had spent 16 seasons as an NBA assistant, including the last five with the Toronto Raptors.
He took over as the head coach for the Bucks in the summer after the team fired Mike Budenholzer.
Early Warning Sign
An early warning sign for Griffin’s tenure was the abrupt departure of assistant coach Terry Stotts before the season opener.
Stotts, with over 1,000 games of head coaching experience, left the staff less than a week before the season began.
Previous Coaching Change
Mike Budenholzer, the previous head coach, was fired after leading the Bucks to their first title in half a century in 2021.
Playoff Exit History
The coaching change comes after the Bucks’ top-seeded team was eliminated by the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs last season.
Source of Information
The information in the report was sourced from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Associated Press.