4 takeaways from Adrian Griffin’s introductory press conference with Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks introduced the 17th head coach in franchise history on Tuesday, making Adrian Griffin and general manager Jon Horst available for a press conference with the media.
It was a fresh change of pace after Mike Budenholzer’s infamous style of revealing as little as possible to reporters. Griffin was more open about the strategies he plans to implement, how he hopes to spark the Bucks, and his overall style of play.
It will be a steep learning curve for Griffin, who has plenty of experience as an NBA player and assistant coach, but will be stepping into his first head coaching job. With some time to get his feet wet, let’s explore four takeaways from his introductory press conference as the head man of the Bucks.
Here are four takeaways from Adrian Griffin’s introductory press conference as the new head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Ball pressure!
The Bucks’ defense was one of the best during Budenholzer’s tenure, but they were notoriously conservative. They routinely ranked near the top of the league in points per 100 possessions allowed and at the bottom in opponent turnover percentage. Griffin hopes to continue the former while improving the latter.
He mentioned several times he would be implementing a defense that is centered, among other things, on ball pressure. He wants his defense to get after it and make ball handlers uncomfortable. That’s not surprising, considering the Toronto Raptors have ranked first in each of the last three years in opponent turnover percentage, according to Cleaning the Glass.
That style fits well with the likes of Jrue Holiday, Jevon Carter and some of the other perimeter defenders Milwaukee has. Although Brook Lopez’s fit with that defensive scheme will be interesting, I’m also curious how Giannis Antetokounmpo will fare. When he’s ramped up his defensive intensity in the past, it’s been difficult for him to sustain that energy level on both ends of the court for long periods of time. It’s also led to undisciplined defense on his part and made him prone to foul trouble. There will definitely be an adjustment period.
Defensive versatility
Building off ball pressure, Griffin mentioned the importance of adjusting and throwing different looks at opposing offenses. This gels with his background as a defensive-minded coach and serving under Nick Nurse, Tom Thibodeau and Scott Skiles.
Nurse, especially, is notorious for mixing up his defensive coverages, and it appears Griffin also prioritizes that. He expects his players to have an advanced understanding of what defense they are playing, the rotations they’re expected to be in, and finishing the plays with a defensive rebound so they can get out and run. The versatility will be a complete 180 from the last five years.
More offensive movement
Another change he’s hoping to implement is more ball and player movement on offense. Milwaukee’s offense had a tendency to become highly stagnant in previous years, especially during the postseason. They made the sixth-fewest passes per game last year while ranking near the middle of the league in offensive player movement.
Griffin wants more of both, mentioning he expects the ball and his players to move around the court more frequently. Theoretically, this should make things easier for the Bucks to score in the halfcourt as the defense will have to adjust to regular rotations and worry about multiple offensive facets. We’ll see how it plays out.
Terry Stotts will run the offense
With Griffin being a defensive-minded coach, he brought in Terry Stotts as his lead assistant coach and the man to run the offense. When we last saw him as a head coach, he ran the Portland Trail Blazers. Granted, they had Damian Lillard, but their offense ranked second, third, and fourth in offensive rating during the last three years of his tenure, according to Cleaning the Glass.
Next. 2 trade ideas for Bobby Portis. dark
Stotts is a valuable veteran coach with previous head coaching experience that Griffin will rely heavily upon this season. That’s a huge pickup and exactly the type of coach and person a first-time head coach needs by his side.