Bucks Fire Adrian Griffin Amid Poor Defensive Season; Doc Rivers Linked

As reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Milwaukee Bucks have decided to part ways with head coach Adrian Griffin. Joe Prunty is set to step in as the interim head coach as the team surveys the NBA coaching landscape for a full-time replacement.

Griffin’s departure comes after just 43 games at the helm. He was appointed in the offseason, succeeding Mike Budenholzer, who was let go following the team’s first-round playoff defeat to the Miami Heat, despite the Bucks entering as the Eastern Conference’s top seed.

Shams Charania of The Athletic also mentions Doc Rivers as a potential candidate for the permanent head coaching role. Rivers has a 1,096-763 regular season record as a head coach, coming off a 54-28 campaign with the Philadelphia 76ers that ended with being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Antetokounmpo was the primary advocate for the Bucks to hire Griffin before the organization ultimately chose him amid a coaching pool of Nick Nurse and Kenny Atkinson in June. The two-time MVP signed a three-year, $186 million contract in October, taking pressure off the Bucks to appease his desires.

Under Griffin’s guidance, the Bucks achieved a successful start to the season, currently standing second in the Eastern Conference with a 30-13 record, trailing the Boston Celtics by 3.5 games. Milwaukee focuses on improving a struggling defense — ranking 22nd in defensive rating — having taken multiple steps back since swapping Jrue Holiday in exchange for Damian Lillard. Without improvement, winning a championship will prove to be difficult.

This role marked Griffin’s first opportunity as an NBA head coach. His coaching career includes 15 years as an assistant, contributing to teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, and most recently, the Toronto Raptors.