Bucks: Joe Prunty Almost Saves Adrian Griffin; Who Is He and Why Giannis Antetokounmpo Excels Under His System?

(Photo : Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GEORGIA - Interim head coach Joe Prunty of the Atlanta Hawks reacts against the Brooklyn Nets during the first quarter at State Farm Arena on February 26, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Adrian Griffin's first month as a head coach hasn't been that ideal, as the Milwaukee Bucks are yet to find their groove.

The latest setback is the loss to the Indiana Pacers, which Griffin was not able to finish after getting ejected at the 7-minute mark of the third quarter.

They trailed in the first half and then had to bleed in each possession once he was ejected. It did not help, too, that Lillard was out due to a minor injury.

Assistant Joe Prunty took over for Griffin, and he brought to the game something many Bucks fans are very familiar with.

With him calling the shots, superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo went nuclear, scoring 54 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Khris Middleton added 19 points in 20 minutes, while Malik Beasley added 13.

However, the overall team play of the Pacers ruled as they had no answer for Benedict Mathurin, who scored 26, while Tyrese Haliburton led the way again with 29 points and 10 assists. Bucks lost, 124-126.

Giannis and Prunty go way back

The two's partnership started during the Jason Kidd era. Kidd was fired in the middle of the 2017-2018 season by the Bucks, and Prunty became the interim coach for 37 games.

He was also the head coach in the playoffs, where they pushed the more favored Boston Celtics to Game 7. They even almost won the series.

Prunty gives Giannis free reign on the court, something fans saw again in the loss to the Indiana Pacers.

In 2018, he explained how Giannis was encouraged to take advantage of his point guard skills because the team needed it.

"Ultimately what happened was we had a situation where none of our point guards were healthy," Prunty told CBS Sports.

"We didn't want Giannis thinking he was the "point guard," so one of the things we said to him before the game that morning was, "Look, Giannis, if you rebound the ball, bring it up the floor."

Fans again saw this game on Thursday as the Greek Freak brought the ball himself, especially since their main point guard was not playing.

Prunty turned heads in that Boston series because of his offense masterclass that utilized every facet of Antetokounmpo's game.

He is also credited for Antetokounmpos' managed minutes in a game wherein he sits out some parts of the first quarter to help him leverage his abilities. This seems to have worked as his success. Mike Budenholzer followed the same blueprint on Giannis when he became the head coach in 2019.

The 54-year-old coach was seen as a rising coach in the NBA then, but he has yet to be hired as the head coach.

Giannis went on to win two MVPs after 2018, but Prunty was let go by the Bucks. The Phoenix Suns hired him as their assistant coach. His next stop was the Atlanta Hawks because he was returning to Wisconsin this season.