Does Doc Rivers’ tenure as coach improve the Bucks?
Doc Rivers was named head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks on January 26. He replaced Adrian Griffin, who was sacked despite leading the team to a 30-13 record.
The NBA public was shocked to learn that Griffin had been fired, especially in light of the team’s impressive record. But in Griffin’s first season, Milwaukee’s defense and rebounding had suffered severe declines, raising questions for a championship-chasing team that had added a big player in the offseason.
It is unheard of to fire a rookie coach who has a 30-13 record. Has Doc Rivers, Griffin’s replacement, done any better in his two months as head coach than Griffin did in 43 games?
With the second-ranked offensive and the 21st-ranked defense in the NBA, Milwaukee had the 10th-best net rating in his 43 games as coach, albeit in an unbalanced manner.
During those 43 games, the Bucks ranked fifteenth in terms of rebounding percentage. Although not a bad result, it appears worse given that Milwaukee was consistently among the top teams in the league in terms of rebounding under the tenure of former coach Mike Budenholzer. It was a significant decline to be league average on the boards, especially with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez still playing.
Along with other coaches—Terry Stotts resigned as an assistant coach due to a falling out between the two—Griffin also reportedly had a falling out with players like Antetokounmpo, who claimed the squad was “not organized at all” under Griffin’s leadership. Griffin’s record was excellent, but there was some instability in the backroom operations.
The Philadelphia 76ers dismissed Rivers following the 2022–2023 season. He joined the Bucks on January 29 and has played in 25 games, posting a 14-11 record. That is undoubtedly worse than Griffin’s record of 30-13, and even though some of Milwaukee’s statistics have improved under Rivers, it is difficult to conclude that the Bucks have significantly improved since Rivers took over.
Milwaukee, with its 12th-ranked offensive and 14th-ranked defense, has the 11th-best net rating in the NBA after those 25 games. With Rivers in control, the Bucks’ rebounding percentage is 19th, indicating that the issue has not been resolved. To put it briefly, the team’s record is worse than it was, the defense is marginally better, and the offense is marginally worse. Coaches aren’t fighting anymore, at least?
Under Rivers, Milwaukee has had mixed results when it comes to clutch time; despite having the sixth-best net rating in the NBA, the team has only gone 5-6 in their 11 clutch time games. When compared to the Bucks’ 18-6 record and league-best net rating in clutch circumstances during Griffin’s tenure, those figures appear less impressive. When games were close, even Griffin’s Milwaukee defense tightened up, rising to become the second-best in the NBA.
In retrospect, it is clear that under Rivers, things haven’t magically improved, and much work remains. Milwaukee boasts elite players in Giannis and Damian Lillard, but before supporters can start dreaming of another championship, this team needs to address some serious issues.
