To become a first-time head coach comes with both great excitement and pressure.
Adrian Griffin landed what many assistant coaches coveted when he got hired by the Milwaukee Bucks during the summer of last season to replace Mike Budenholzer.
There was excitement within the Bucks community after the utter failure of a 2022-2023 season.
For Griffin, there is tremendous pressure to deliver. They got the two-time MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo and just acquired a super scorer in Damian Lillard by trading away great defender Jrue Holiday.
Dame's arrival meant it was "win-or-nothing" for Griffin now.
With more than half a season done, was he able to deliver?
Their 30-13 record is the second-best in the league.
That was not enough, according to general manager Jon Horst. On the morning of January 23, he was fired and replaced by Doc Rivers a few hours later.
When did things go south between the Milwaukee Bucks and Adrian Griffin?
His relationship with the coaching staff and players and his schemes are worth looking into to find the answer.
Stotts said goodbye - October 23, 2023
The new season hasn't started, but the Bucks already had to deal with losing a good coach as Terry Stotts vacated his position as an assistant to Griffin.
News reports alleged that his resignation was triggered by a confrontation between him and Griffin during a shoot-around. AG allegedly yelled at Stotts while asking them to do a huddle.
Stotts would have been the Bucks' ace to integrate Dame into the lineup. The two spent years together at the Portland Trail Blazers.
In-Season Tournament Loss - December 7, 2023
The Bucks started the season 2-2 but eventually found their groove. Griffins' fit with the team faced its sternest test during the In-season tournament when they fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Final Four.
After the game, Griffin called for an "airing-out session," which the players appreciated.
"He pointed out how some of their teammates would frequently be open when Antetokounmpo and Lillard would drive to the basket. And he called them out for not bringing defensive intensity on a nightly basis," Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes reported.
The players responded, and they strung up seven straight wins. However, Haynes said the bickering continued, and that is when the Bucks front office started entertaining the idea of looking for a probable replacement.
Lillard's dissatisfaction (date unknown)
"League sources also said Lillard has spent much of this season struggling with the way the Bucks function on the offensive end. While he has remained patient with coaches and teammates, there was an inevitable pressure on Griffin from the organization to make the most of Lillard's talent that validates the choice to part ways with Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, and three first-round picks to land him," NBA Insider Shams Charania wrote.
Dame is not as efficient as he was during his time with the Portland Trailblazers.
Bad wins against Detroit Pistons, January 20 to 22
Defense is where the Bucks struggle the most. They are 21st in the league in terms of defensive rating, and this hole in their schemes was highlighted in their recent wins.
The team barely survived the league's worst team, Detroit Pistons, whom they faced back to back.
They only won by an average of 7 points in those wins. The Bucks could only get away from them in the last five minutes.
The Pistons game will be the last time Griffin coached the Bucks.
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