You could make a case for Adrian Griffin being the most under-pressure individual for the Milwaukee Bucks. After all, the first-year head coach has succeeded Mike Budenholzer, who is just four years removed from his second Coach of the Year title.
Talk about having to fill some pretty big shoes, right?
Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Speaks Out on Adrian Griffin’s Situation
To add even more pressure to Coach Griff, he has taken over the helm following what was arguably the Bucks’ most eventful offseason in franchise history. By bringing in seven-time All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard via a blockbuster trade deal, there’s no denying that Milwaukee put a lot of pressure on itself to win a championship in the immediate future.
Giannis Antetokounmpo knows all about pressure. He also empathizes with the predicament Griffin finds himself in at the moment, as well as the heavy burden he’s had to carry as a first-year shot-caller. For his part, Giannis is willing to do whatever he can to help his new coach:
“Being 28 now, being 11 years in the league, I feel like it’s a partnership,” said Antetokounmpo, via Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “If I see something that I can help him and make his job easier, I say it.
“As I said this is a partnership. It goes back and forth. I don’t think in every team in the NBA, that’s the case. But for sure here with ‘Griff.’ It’s definitely been a partnership with everybody — not just me, but every single player.”
This “partnership” does not only mean that Giannis expects to be involved in the major decisions that will impact the direction his team is taking. Antetokounmpo knows that he will also need to take on all the burden that comes with this massive responsibility.
For his part, Griffin has been receptive to whatever inputs his players have. I’m also pretty sure that he’s paying extra attention to whatever Giannis has to say.
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