“There’s been a lot of expectations on our team,” Lillard said. “Things have been expected to look a certain way. We’ve had a bumpy road to our success, which is sometimes a part of the process. I was surprised. But it’s part of the game. People get traded, people get waived, people get fired, and that’s never something you want to see.”
Since Doc Rivers coached his first game for the Bucks nearly three weeks ago, a Milwaukee team that opened the season by winning 32 of its first 46 games has gone just 3-7. While that stretch includes losses to some of the NBA’s top teams – including Minnesota and Denver – Rivers’ club also dropped games in Portland and Memphis.
“It’s been probably more difficult than I thought,” Rivers admitted on All-Star Saturday, according to Yaron Weitzman of FOX Sports.
The Bucks announced on January 23 that they had parted ways with previous head coach Adrian Griffin, then formally confirmed the hiring of Rivers three days later. Assistant Joe Prunty served as the interim coach for three games after Griffin’s departure, but Rivers was on the Bucks’ bench by Jan. 29, less than a week after Griffin’s dismissal, as the Bucks began a five-game Western Conference road trip.
“Taking a job when you’re about to go on the toughest road trip of the season is not the smartest decision,” Rivers said. “I even told them that: ‘Can we wait ‘til All-Star break?’ You know, it would have been a lot nicer.
“… The end game is what we’re playing for, and the organization felt strongly that a change needed to be made defensively and things like that, and that’s what we’re doing. The problem is, while you’re doing that, you’re in the middle of the season on the toughest trip. … I’ve been in Milwaukee (for) four days. I’ve had the job for three weeks.”
As Rivers alluded to, the Bucks’ defensive struggles under Griffin were one reason the team decided to make a change, and Milwaukee’s defense has technically improved since Rivers took over. The team has allowed 113.6 per 100 possessions over its last 10 games, compared to 116.8 under Griffin, Weitzman notes. But the club’s offensive production has fallen off significantly during the same stretch, with its offensive rating diving from 120.6 under Griffin to 111.9 under Rivers.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo admitted that the team’s frequent coaching changes over the past year – from Mike Budenholzer to Griffin to Prunty to Rivers – have been “draining,” with Milwaukee’s players being asked to constantly adjust to new philosophies and game plans. However, he expressed faith in Rivers on Saturday, per Weitzman.
“I love working with Coach Doc. He’s been very, very successful,” Antetokounmpo said. “We can talk all day about things he’s accomplished around the league. He’s won, I think, 1,100 NBA games. Some people have never played 1,100 games. Yeah, he brings that level of — how can I say? A championship level to the team. He won. He’s coached a lot of successful teams in the past.”