Joining the team midseason wasn’t the ideal situation for the Milwaukee Bucks or new head coach Doc Rivers. Upon him joining, he ran into some difficult obstacles, and as coached the team to a 3-7 record prior to the All-Star Break.
Milwaukee Bucks HC: “Not the Smartest Decision”
Rivers, who coached the Eastern Conference team in Sunday’s All-Star game, said on Saturday that taking the head coach position when he did was a bit of poor planning and timing.
“Taking a job when you’re about to go on the toughest road trip of the season is not the smartest decision,” Rivers said, per Fox Sports. “I even told them that: ‘Can we wait ’til All-Star break?’ You know, it would have been a lot nicer.”
The Bucks hired Rivers on Jan. 26 to replace Adrian Griffin, who was let go as Milwaukee’s head coach on Jan. 23. He made his Bucks coaching debut on Jan. 29 in Denver, and wouldn’t make his home debut until Feb. 8.
According to Rivers, the end result is what the team is focused on; it was just a struggle as it was one of their toughest road trips.
“The end game is what we’re playing for,” Rivers said. “And the organization felt strongly that a change needed to be made defensively and things like that, and that’s what we’re doing. The problem is, while you’re doing that, you’re in the middle of the season on the toughest trip.”
Since Rivers joined the coaching staff, the Milwaukee Bucks have struggled immensely on offense, now averaging 112 points a game, eight points lower than with Griffin. Their defense has improved however, the Bucks are holding their opponents to 113.6 points per 100 possessions.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Weighs in on Rivers coaching.
Doc Rivers isn’t the only member within the Bucks organization who has acknowledged the struggles the team has gone through this season. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said it’s been hard making adjustments.
“It’s hard. This is my fourth coach in the span of six months, from Coach Bud, Coach Griff, Coach Joe, and then Doc,” Antetokounmpo said. “Different philosophy, different game plan. It’s hard. It’s draining.”
“I’m a student of the game. When somebody asks me to do something, I try to do it to the best of my ability. I try to understand what we’re trying to accomplish, both so I can understand and so I can be there for my teammates when they ask questions.”
Antetokounmpo also mentioned how he believes that Rivers can lead the team to greatness just based on his record as a coach throughout the years. However, he did also mention that Griffin, who was a first-year head coach, often was questioned when it came to decision-making and what tactics were used on the floor.
“I love working with Coach Doc. He’s been very, very successful.” Giannis said on Saturday. “We can talk all day about things he’s accomplished around the league. He’s won, I think, 1,100 NBA games. Some people have never played 1,100 games. Yeah, he brings that level of – how can I say? A championship level to the team. He won. He’s coached a lot of successful teams in the past.”
Hopefully this All-Star break can bring a better form of the Bucks as they try to make another championship run.
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