What is Doc Rivers’ record with the Bucks compared to former coach Adrian Griffin?

Doc Rivers is a former basketball coach who led the Boston Celtics for nine seasons. As coach, he helped the team reach two NBA Finals and win one championship in 2008. Rivers took over as coach in 2004 and managed to bring the team to the playoffs in his first year. However, they missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons until All-Star Kevin Garnett joined the team in 2007-08. Garnett formed the “Big Three” with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, which led to a record of 66-16 and a championship win over the Los Angeles Lakers in six Games.

In January, just before the All-Star break, the Milwaukee Bucks fired their first-year head coach, Adrian Griffin. This decision was not made overnight but resulted from months of underwhelming play. The team had concerns about the severe decline of their once-elite defense, the flawed use of newcomer Damian Lillard alongside franchise centerpiece Giannis Antetokounmpo, and a widespread fear that this group, which was expected to contend for a title, was likely to fall short if Milwaukee stood pat. Despite this, the reason behind the franchise’s decision remains unclear.

But how did the change Griffin-Rivers turn out to be?

It seems that just looking at the numbers won’t give us the whole story. Doc Rivers, who scored 15-16, less than 0.500, has not achieved the success the Bucks had hoped for. In comparison, Griffin had a record of 30-13 before he was laid off. Rivers has improved the team’s defense, but the offense is less explosive, and they have a mediocre record. After 31 games, the Doc Rivers era in Milwaukee has not been a raging success. The tenures of Rivers and Griffin have both resulted in similar outcomes but through vastly different styles. Doc’s team has improved on defense but fallen back on offense compared to his predecessors, and both have similar outcomes in point differential per 100 possessions.

However, there are pieces of information that are not so obvious. Khris Middleton, who recently returned from injury, has only played in 13 of the 31 games that Doc has coached. On the other hand, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard had 43 games together before Doc’s arrival, giving him a more played-in version of the two co-stars than Griffin had.

Some may think that Griffin’s hiring/firing was too reactionary. Even though people thought that the Bucks were “underperforming” under Griffin, a record of 32-14 is pretty good for any team, which is a 57-win pace. Adrian Griffin has the highest win percentage of anybody who has ever coached the Bucks.