The Toronto Raptors coaching tree under Nick Nurse has had some mixed results.
Nurse is obviously with the Philadelphia 76ers and is enjoying a successful season so far with the team. Meanwhile, Nate Bjorkgren got fired after one season with the Indiana Pacers and Chris Finch has the Minnesota Timberwolves in first place in the Western Conference.
As for former Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin, he hasn’t even lasted one season with the Milwaukee Bucks as the team has fired him in a shocking move:
BREAKING: The Milwaukee Bucks dismissed coach Adrian Griffin, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/UK1MGlKyrY
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2024
It’s rare that a head coach gets fired while having his team at 30-13 and in second place in the Eastern Conference. However, it is clear that something was going on behind the scenes for this to take place.
Giannis Antetokounmpo vouched for Griffin before the Bucks made the hire, but there seemed to be a disconnect between Griffin and the team.
The Bucks were firing on offense averaging 124 points per game, which is the second-best ranked offense in the league. However, Griffin’s biggest flaws were on defense.
Milwaukee ranks 21st in defensive rating one year after ranking fourth but of course trading Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard is a big reason for that dropoff defensively.
When the Toronto Raptors were in their head coaching search many thought Griffin could step into that role for Toronto. However, after an extensive search the Raptors decided to hire Darko Rajakovic as their new head coach.
While it hasn’t been perfect, Rajakovic has done a good job considering the circumstances.
Next up for Raptors
The Raptors have a few days off before they get set to host Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 26. This will be the second and final meeting between the teams this season.
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