Adrian Griffin's deficiencies as a head coach were highlighted in the IST, claims a report

The inexperience of first-time head coach Adrian Griffin is showing.

© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The job of an NBA head coach is never easy, especially when you're at the helm of a squad that aims to add a second title in the last four years. That's the situation that first-time head coach Adrian Griffin finds himself in. With a loaded Milwaukee Bucks squad that features two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard, the expectations for Griffin are sky-high.

While Griffin and the Bucks have somewhat delivered, cracks in the armor were seen during their stint in the knockout stages of the In-Season Tournament, wherein the Bucks fell to the Indiana Pacers in the semifinals.

Causes for concern

After a disjointed start, the Bucks have played better of late and stand in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. However, Griffin has come under fire in the wake of the team's 128-119 loss to the upstart Pacers in the IST's Final Four. Notably, Griffin's failure to structure the team's play on both ends of the floor seemingly doomed the Bucks' chances.

"The in-season tournament brought reports of Giannis Antetokounmpo being unengaged in team timeouts and Bobby Portis criticizing Griffin's late-game playcalling after the Bucks' semifinal loss to the Pacers," Andy Bailey wrote for Bleacher Report.

Bucks forward Bobby Portis calls out coach Adrian Griffin after loss to the Pacers, per report https://t.co/tDMaPHcnbl

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 8, 2023

Tough spot

Griffin has generally been liked and respected in Milwaukee. He's gotten praise for listening to input from his players and adjusting his initial defensive style to maximize the rim-protection skills of big man Brook Lopez. There are plenty of regular season games to be played, and it remains to be seen if Griffin can develop his coaching chops enough to get the Bucks to their ultimate goal.

"Being a first-year head coach is tough, and that's especially true when taking over a title contender like Milwaukee. The in-season tournament shined extra light on Griffin's struggles in that very situation. Again, there's still time for things to stabilize for the Bucks, but confidence in this team can't be quite what it was in the immediate aftermath of the Damian Lillard trade," Bailey continued.

Dame finds Giannis for the oop! pic.twitter.com/sV5kZDrL0E

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 12, 2023

Adrian Griffin, Bobby Portis comment on postgame incident in the Bucks' locker room