Adrian Griffin explains why he played rookie Andre Jackson Jr. more over veteran Malik Beasley in loss to the Houston Rockets

The Milwaukee Bucks were facing an uphill battle against the plucky Houston Rockets, trailing by 20 at halftime, 63-43. The team needed a surge of energy, which coach Adrian Griffin hoped would translate to better defense and easy transition opportunities. It was at this point that the first-time head coach made a bold decision, opting to play rookie Andre Jackson Jr. over veteran Malik Beasley in the second half.

Giving the opponent a different look

Griffin's reasoning was simple – he wanted to shake things up, give his team a jolt of energy, and befuddle the Rockets a little bit. He knew that Jackson could be the monkey wrench in the Rockets' offensive scheme, with his length and athleticism causing problems. While Beasley is a reliable veteran scorer, he was struggling in this particular game, finishing with only three points.

“Just switching up defense a little bit,” Griffin said.

“I thought we just needed a little bit of energy, and that’s what ‘Dre brings. He just brings the energy.”

Coach didn’t discount what Beasley has brought to the table for the Bucks, as his spot-up shooting has been critical in opening up the lane for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and freeing up more space for Damian Lillard. However, Griffin explained he needed to make a change to give his team a better shot against the Rockets.

“‘Beas’ has been great for us, he’ll continue to be great for us, but I think when you’re down like that at halftime, just trying to give the team a spark. And I thought ‘Dre did a tremendous job. I think he did a tremendous job. We were able to switch up our matchups, throw out something different. Ball bounce here or there may be a different outcome.”