The Milwaukee Bucks’ 2023-24 season did not go as well as the organization had hoped previous offseason. Head coach Mike Budenholzer was sacked after the team failed to advance past the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and Adrian Griffin was appointed as his replacement. According to sources, Griffin was hand-picked by Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Later in the offseason, just days before training camp, Jon Horst made the most significant trade of the offseason, sending Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trailblazers (and Grayson Allen to the Phoenix Suns) for All-Star point guard Damian Lillard.
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On paper, the Bucks appeared to be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case.
The Milwaukee Bucks experienced their fair share of drama.
The Adrian Griffin Era in Milwaukee was never smooth. Terry Stotts, an assistant coach, abruptly left just days before the regular season began following a confrontation with Griffin during practice. Furthermore, from the start of the season, it was evident that the Bucks were not performing as well as many expected.
Giannis and Lillard are both excellent players, but their lack of time in the offseason to develop chemistry and collaborate made everything they did appear forced and disjointed. Meanwhile, the team’s defense, which had been one of the greatest in the NBA under Budenholzer, devolved into one of the worst.
For these and other reasons, the Bucks made the unexpected decision to fire Griffin 43 games into the season, when Milwaukee was 30-13.
Milwaukee eventually settled on Doc Rivers as the team’s next head coach, and while the defense improved, the team’s overall performance remained poor. Granted, a lot of their struggles stemmed from their poor health. Giannis, Lillard, and Khris Middleton played a total of six games together after Rivers’ hiring.
Unfortunately, injuries played a significant role in the Bucks’ season, which ended in the first round of the NBA Playoffs once more. While unfortunate, the silver lining is that Milwaukee will be able to focus on the offseason knowing who their head coach is and who their key players are.
Doc Rivers, the Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach, cleaned house.
When Rivers was first hired, he decided to keep the assistant coaches Griffin had hired for the rest of the season. During the process, he was able to assess how they would fit into his long-term staffing strategy.
Following the season, it was reported that he fired three assistant coaches, including long-time Bucks coach Josh Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer, a Giannis admirer, was on staff when the Greek Freak was first drafted by Milwaukee in 2013. He was on staff until 2016, but Mike Budenholzer hired him back in 2020.
Oppenheimer has worked for six different Bucks full-time and interim head coaches.
He has also collaborated with Giannis on the Greek national team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is not pleased that the Milwaukee Bucks fired Josh Oppenheimer.
According to a post by Gery Woelfel, Giannis is upset with Rivers and the Bucks for firing Oppenheimer. Woelfel posted on X:
“When the Bucks fired assistant coach Josh Oppenheimer, the public’s reaction was a collective yawn. However, Oppenheimer has worked extensively with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the two have developed a strong bond. An NBA executive claims that the Bucks did not confer with Antetokounmpo before firing Oppenheimer, and that Antetokounmpo is upset about it.
Giannis has repeatedly stated over the previous year that he is not and does not want to be involved in any personnel choices. If that’s the case, Milwaukee did nothing wrong by failing to contact him before firing Oppenheimer.
The decision’s consequences remain unknown.
