It goes without saying that there’s going to be a lot of pressure on the Milwaukee Bucks this coming season. Most of it will be pointed in the direction of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard now that these two future Hall of Famers have teamed up.
Let’s not forget, however, that the pressure is also going to be sky-high for first-year head coach Adrian Griffin.
Adrian Griffin Intends to Push Milwaukee Bucks
Don’t let the fact that he’s a rookie coach fool you, though. Griffin has a lot of experience under his belt, albeit as an assistant coach. Before taking over the helm for the Bucks, the 49-year-old has served as an assistant since 2008. He was part of the Toronto Raptors’ majestic title run in 2019 under head coach Nick Nurse.
His wealth of experience has taught Griffin more than a few lessons through the years, and this is exactly why he knows how to handle such a star-studded roster. According to Griffin, he intends to push his team and his players to the limit:
“I think the good teams pull for each other,” he said, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “They push and they pull for each other. They push each other. It’s not always going to be pretty. … You gotta push people out of their comfort zone. If there’s always rainbows; because when you get in the playoffs there’s going to be a lot of adversity.”
Adrian Griffin Wants to ‘Invite Conflict’
He’s absolutely right. Much like this roster, Griffin has also had his fair share of playoff games, so he knows what’s required of the team and the players when the going gets tough, so to speak. This is why the first-year shot-caller wants to breed a culture of conflict within the squad early on:
“So, your team has to be comfortable dealing with adversity and see adversity as more of a challenge and opportunity to grow and get better,” he continued. “So, we invite conflict. How we respond to it, is what’s going to set us up for the future.”
It’s not as if Griffin is going to expect his players to fight with each other on a daily basis. However, if it’s these disputes and squabbles –both internal and external — are what’s needed in order to strengthen the bond between them, then Griffin is all for it.
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