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"The job he was hired for was not actually the job he landed" - The report details Adrian Griffin’s struggles that led to his ouster

The truth behind the controversial exit of coach Adrian Griffin.

Matthew Dugandzic

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Adrian Griffin’s 233-day-stint as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks had plenty of success; a team doesn’t win 30 out of its first 43 games without a competent leader at the helm. However, despite this initial success, Griffin’s time in Milwaukee came to an abrupt end when he was let go by the organization earlier this week.

According to a report from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Jamal Collier, it turns out that Griffin’s firing wasn’t just about his coaching abilities or lack thereof. Instead, it was a culmination of various factors behind the scenes that ultimately led to his ouster.

On the clock

On a team led by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the team’s general manager Jon Horst once exclaimed that everyone is always on the clock. After all, the intensely competitive Giannis wants to maximize every season and make the most of his prime years.

Despite having a solid core group of players, including All-Stars Khris Middleton, Damian Lillard, and Brook Lopez, the Bucks have not made strides to really establish themselves as the clear-cut leader of the pack in the Eastern Conference. A convincing win over the Boston Celtics was soon followed by a 40-point defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers, showing the inconsistency and lack of cohesion within the team.

"If you're being honest, with Giannis, you're kind of always on the clock," Horst said.

Jrue-less defense

The Bucks’ most prominent identity in the last few seasons was its ferocious defense—which was something that Griffin had looked to lean on when he applied for the head coaching position last year. However, the team’s dynamic shifted when the Bucks acquired high-scoring Damian Lillard in a blockbuster deal in the offseason.

Suddenly, Jrue Holiday—the man that Griffin was looking to utilize as his point-of-attack defender—was gone, and the team was left with a less-than-stellar group of defenders on the perimeter.

“Therein actually lay the first sign that the job he was hired for was not actually the job he landed. The job he was hired for included Holiday as a defensive nexus on the perimeter -- but also as one of the sturdy veterans on a team that had a core trio that had spent three seasons together and won a championship in 2021,” the report read.

“When Holiday was traded, everything changed. The Bucks had to forge a new identity on offense and defense. They had to figure out how to mesh the skill sets of Antetokounmpo and Lillard, both of whom are accustomed to having the ball the majority of the time, had to adjust from a relatively low-usage guard in Holiday to a high-usage one in Lillard. They had to build a defense without one of the best front-line defenders in basketball. And almost immediately, tensions emerged.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo denies having a hand in the firing of Adrian Griffin

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.