Milwaukee Bucks news: Ultimately, it was the Los Angeles Lakers who emerged as the first-ever champions of the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament. This is after LeBron James and Co. took down the Indiana Pacers in the championship game to bring home the coveted NBA Cup.
It wasn’t just the Lakers who came out victorious after this unprecedented initiative, though. For one, Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA deserve a lot of credit for successfully pulling the tournament off despite some early criticism.
At the same time, however, there were a few losers who were exposed by the IST.
Milwaukee Bucks Coach Adrian Griffin Challenged Again
NBA insider Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer recently dropped his in-depth analysis of the NBA In-Season Tournament. He listed down the biggest winners and losers in the aftermath of the IST.
According to O’Connor, Bucks coach Adrian Griffin is part of the loser list.
Rumors came out shortly after Milwaukee’s brutal loss to the Indiana Pacers in the semifinal about veteran Bobby Portis calling Griffin out in the locker room. O’Connor points out that this is merely the latest manifestation of Griffin’s schemes being put into question:
“Already this season, Griffin has seen his lead assistant Terry Stotts resign, and after he installed a more aggressive defensive scheme in the preseason, Bucks players asked him to revert to Mike Budenholzer’s drop coverage scheme from last season. This Portis situation is only the latest publicly known issue players have had with Griffin. Milwaukee’s offense hasn’t been a glaring issue, as the team ranks third in offensive rating, but the lack of structure certainly is an overall issue,” O’Connor Wrote.
O’Connor points out that Griffin’s decision not to lean on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on offense remains the biggest question mark for the Bucks. If this trend continues, it might not be surprising if the rookie coach gets called out for this sooner rather than later.
Ticking Time Bomb?
Defense has been a glaring issue for the Bucks ever since Jrue Holiday took his talents elsewhere. Milwaukee has struggled on the defensive end, particularly with the backcourt pairing of Lillard and Malik Beasley. On Thursday against the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton exposed them yet again.
O’Connor believes that Griffin should have at least attempted to use rookie Andre Jackson Jr. against Haliburton:
“Jackson was a stellar defender last season at UConn, and though he’s inexperienced, he has the versatility to defend a variety of attackers. Utilizing him against the Pacers could have allowed the Bucks to attempt to pressure Haliburton in the first half, rather than sticking exclusively with drop coverage as he shredded them over and over again,” O’Connor argued.
At this point, it is now becoming evident that Adrian Griffin still has a long way to go before he is able to fully establish himself as the right man for the job. Whether or not the front office is going to give him enough time to do so is an altogether different matter.
“Budenholzer was canned because of his lack of adjustments. But so far Griffin hasn’t proved to be any better in that department. Coaching must improve, and so must the personnel’s performance. Right now, the Bucks look like a team struggling to find answers,” O’Connor wrote.
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