Giannis Antetokounmpo explains the differences between Doc Rivers and former coach Adrian Griffin

"Coach Griff was a great coach, a great person to work with, but, at the end of the day, it was his first time."

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Adrian Griffin worked a long time as an assistant coach to prepare himself to one day become a head coach. That opportunity came on June 5, 2023, when the Milwaukee Bucks officially hired the former NBA player as the team’s new head coach. However, that stint only lasted a few months as the Bucks let Griffin go on January 23, 2024, despite the latter compiling a stellar 30-13 record.

Speaking to The Athletic, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo shared that for all of Griffin’s good qualities, his lack of head coaching experience couldn’t be glossed over.

Experience matters

The responsibilities of an NBA head coach are varied and far-reaching, making it a challenging role for even the most experienced of coaches. And while Griffin had spent years as an assistant coach under some of the best in the league, nothing could fully prepare him for the pressures and demands of being the head coach.

“Coach Griff was a great coach, a great person to work with, but, at the end of the day, it was his first time,” Giannis said.

“He was figuring things out, how to lead a group of guys, how to operate with star players, and sometimes, that might be hard. I think everybody did a good job. His coaching staff did a good job, too, helping him and making him adjust, and I think he did a tremendous job leading us to a 30-13 record, but Coach Doc has won 1,100 games. So it’s totally different.”

UD on the bucks firing adrian griffin for doc rivers:

“But at the end of the day you gotta get comfortable with being uncomfortable. In a 7 game series in the playoffs somebody’s gonna put you in a situation that you might not like and you gon be out of your comfort zone.” pic.twitter.com/gUfv7JG3OT

— heatvswrld (@Heatvswrld_) February 13, 2024

Brought Giannis peace of mind

Under Griffin, Giannis said he felt he had to take on more of a leadership role given the former’s inexperience. But with Doc around—someone who has coached for more than two decades, Antetokounmpo emphasized he no longer has to do that, giving him peace of mind. 

And despite the Bucks’ recent struggles, where they’ve won only three of their last ten games, Giannis is confident in the team’s ability to bounce back.

“Some peace of mind,” Antetokounmpo said, talking about what Doc brought to the table.

“He’s tough. He’s Doc f—ing Rivers. He knows his s—. Same thing for Coach Bud. Same with Joe Prunty, J-Kidd. Coach Doc, he’s a great guy, been in the league for a lot of years, won a lot of games. Like you go to bed, you sleep well at night. Win or lose, you know that the coaching staff is going to be prepared. And not just him, from Rex (Kalamian), from Dave Joerger, like come on, man, Joe Prunty, we have guys that are extremely smart and know the game of basketball. So, from that aspect, you don’t have to worry anymore.”

Doc Rivers bares he told the Milwaukee Bucks he didn't understand why they were firing Adrian Griffin