So much has been made out of Milwaukee Bucks coach Adrian Griffin’s major defensive tweak against the New York Knicks. Following the advice he got from his own players, Griffin decided to revert to the drop coverage, which featured center Brook Lopez positioned deeper in the drop for significant periods in the game.
Lopez responded with eight (!) blocks against the Knicks. There’s no denying that Lopez and his defensive prowess played an integral role in Milwaukee’s 110-105 win.
Milwaukee Bucks Coach Speaks Out on Drop Coverage
After the game, Griffin heaped praise on Lopez, noting how he thought the veteran big man was “awesome” against the Knicks. For his part, Lopez also showed his appreciation to his coach for hearing him out and allowing him to take on his preferred role on the defensive end.
Despite their success on Friday, however, Griffin provided a bit of a caveat with regard to the team relying too heavily on drop coverage. According to the first-year shot-caller, “there will be times where may have to bring our bigs up, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be Brook (h/t Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).”
Griffin liked what he saw from Lopez on Friday, but this doesn’t mean that this scheme is going to be his bread and butter on the defensive end. Coach Griff will likely use this same defense against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, but already, he’s being wary of being too reliant on a specific scheme.
Griffin noted Giannis Antetokounmpo’s versatility is something he intends to fully utilize. He noted that the Bucks “have the pieces” to come up with different combinations on the defensive end. Griffin isn’t afraid of using Giannis at center, which allows Milwaukee to be more versatile on the defensive end.
Simply put, Coach Griff is keeping his options open.
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