With most of the 30 teams in the league set to finally enter their respective 20-game mark of the 2023-24 regular season, all NBA fans are now starting to form assumptions on the teams to watch regarding the title contention standpoint.
In the case of the Milwaukee Bucks, they've been nothing but fantastic so far as one of the notable contenders. They will continue to improve under their new superstar tandem of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
But recently, a notable sports expert expressed his skepticism about Milwaukee's competitive traits, noting the coaching aspect as a crucial element in the team's fear factor.
Unterrified
A well-known devoted Boston teams supporter, analyst Bill Simmons has noted that the Bucks don't intimidate him in the Eastern Conference based on his viewpoint as a Celtics fan.
For Simmons, a swinging consideration for his claim revolves around Adrian Griffin and his head coaching inexperience upon replacing a seasoned tactician like Mike Budenholzer at the team's helm.
"This [Bucks] is not the team I'm afraid of in the East as a Celtics fan," he said. "I'll just say that. And from the well-coached standpoint, [they're] really grim. … There's some new coach stuff with [Adrian] Griffin that it takes a while especially when you go from [Mike Budenholzer] who won the finals to Griffin and some of the stuff they're doing — which a lot of people have written about. I just, this is not the team I fear in the East."
One step at a time
There has to be no question that one of the Bucks' main weak spots is Griffin being new to the NBA's head coaching job. Pressure is absolutely off the charts for the rookie tactician because of the fact that he is leading a veteran-laden squad with lofty championship aspirations.
But at the end of the day, the entire team accepts the fact that it'll be full of growing pains to start their campaign alongside Griffin. As the 49-year-old continues to gain ample development, the Bucks management is maintaining its patience to give him a proven offensive assistant — a position that they've been seeking since the shocking early exit of Terry Stotts — who can further help him unlock the team's system.
While there are some noticeable concerns from Griffin's coaching leadership so far, he and Milwaukee can only go up from there in hopes of finishing the regular season with their desired outcome.
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