There is no secret about the complications the Milwaukee Bucks had to go through this year after they fired head coach Adrian Griffin mid-season, which resulted in the team hiring Doc Rivers to replace him. Heading into the All-Star break, Milwaukee is 3-7 in Rivers' first 10 games as star Giannis Antetokounmpo described the differences between his role under Griffin and Rivers.
In an interview with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Antetokounmpo talked about his role throughout this season where he had to be more vocal. He put it bluntly that “things weren't the way they were supposed to be” as he us “used to a specific structure of things.”
“I just had to do it. I had to be more vocal this year,” Antetokounmpo said. “Things (weren’t) the way they were supposed to be, how can I say it? The last couple of years, I’m used to a specific structure of things, a specific culture, there’s a certain way that you have to do things in order for you to win games, you know? And if that level is not being met, as a leader, you have to push that envelope. Push everybody, your coaching staff, your teammates.”
Antetkounmpo not having to worry about being more vocal under Rivers
It has been widely reported that there was frustrations with Antetokounmpo, the players, and Griffin, despite the team amassing a solid record. It prompted the star to put more weight on his shoulders, but with Rivers, he stated that is not the case anymore as the head coach has major experience.
“Now it’s almost like I don’t have to do that anymore,” Antetokounmpo said of the key difference between Rivers and Griffin about being more vocal. “I just have to keep the guys together and try to go out there and try to win.”
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“Coach Doc, he’s a great guy, been in the league for a lot of years, won a lot of games,” Antetkounmpo continued. “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.”
Rivers giving Antetokounmpo a “peace of mind”
The face of the franchise and former two-time league MVP would even say that despite the struggles the Bucks have so far with Rivers at the helm, he has “some peace of mind” with his new head coach compared to a first-year coach like Griffin. On the season, Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 61.6 percent from the field.
“Some peace of mind,” Antetokounmpo said via The Atheltic. “He’s tough. He’s Doc f—ing Rivers. He knows his s—. Same thing for Coach Bud. Same with Joe Prunty, J-Kidd. And Coach Griff was a great coach, a great person to work with, but, at the end of the day, it was his first time.”
“He was figuring things out, how to lead a group of guys, how to operate with star players and sometimes, that might be hard,” Antetkounmpo continued. “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.”
Still a lot of season left despite early struggles
While it was always going to be rough firing a head coach then hiring a whole other one in the middle of the season, it could be surprising for Milwaukee fans to see how badly the team has struggled on both ends on the floor. In any sense, they are looking to make some noise in the playoffs after last season's disappointing finish as they lost to the eight seed Miami Heat in five games, despite the Bucks being the No. 1 seed.
Either way, the Bucks are still 35-21 on the season which puts them third in the Eastern Conference behind the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their next game now that the All-Star break is over will be on Friday as they will take on the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in the Minnesota Timberwolves.