On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks sent shockwaves through the NBA, firing head coach Adrian Griffin after just 43 games.
The Bucks had high expectations for this season, and while their record suggests differently, the team has struggled to find consistency, and there have been reports of a rift between Griffin and star player Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Some reports have said that Antetokounmpo is unhappy with Griffin’s coaching style, and that he believes that the team is not being coached up to its full potential.
Additionally, the defense seems to have been one of the deciding factors for a Griffin termination. Milwaukee has consistently boasted one of the NBA’s top defensive units while being coached by Mike Budenholzer.
A key component of their success has been Brook Lopez’s presence in protecting the rim, while the Bucks effectively shut down the paint. However, this season, the Bucks encountered a significant setback. The defensive performance took a nosedive, ranking as the league’s 8th worst.
While the departure of Jrue Holiday definitely played its role, the reason behind this unexpected decline was a decision made by Griffin to alter the defensive scheme. Instead of relying on Lopez’s interior presence, a more aggressive approach was adopted, requiring the center to defend more on the perimeter.
This change didn’t yield positive results, and the players had to persuade Griffin to revert back to the previous strategy.
Either way, the Griffin era in Milwaukee ended remarkably early and in veteran head coach Doc Rivers, the Bucks have already found a competent and more experienced replacement.
As the news of the Bucks releasing Griffin made their rounds around the internet, NBA Twitter quickly pointed out one specific moment that symbolized Adrian Griffin was done, and marked his downfall – the moment Giannis Antetokounmpo pulled a move straight out of LeBron James’ playbook.
Literally everyone made the same joke.
Knew Adrian Griffin was gone when I saw Giannis drawing up plays on the bench last night
— Ryan Rude (@SwaleRude) January 23, 2024
This was what Giannis was doing yesterday against the Pistons
Adrian Griffin should’ve known by then pic.twitter.com/4rTxoKugfT
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) January 23, 2024
Knew Adrian Griffin was gone when I saw Giannis drawing up plays on the bench pic.twitter.com/qC9fB9IiaT
— D’Mari Harding, M.A. (@DmariHard) January 23, 2024
Knew he was cooked when Giannis started drawing up plays on the bench last night https://t.co/tJr4cYWPlm pic.twitter.com/kKe5wX2jIn
— fraser ramon (@SteveMerkle9) January 23, 2024
After Giannis draw play yesterday. I knew he was going
— Giannis (@GiannnisBetter) January 23, 2024
— KENNY BEECHAM (@KOT4Q) January 23, 2024
Giannis said pic.twitter.com/NMWrEgPl0z
— ⚡️ Virgil Hawkins⚡️ (@ColeWorldSIMBA) January 23, 2024
