Milwaukee Bucks big man Bobby Portis reportedly confronted his teammates and head coach Adrian Griffin Thursday after the team’s elimination from the NBA In-Season Tournament.
The Bucks, who came into the In-Season semifinals as the tournament favorites, were upset 128-119 by the Indiana Pacers at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
According to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, Griffin entered the Bucks locker room and placed an emphasis on his team losing the rebounding battle against the Pacers. Indiana had a +5 rebounding advantage over Milwaukee in the contest.
Portis reportedly “interjected” as Griffin was speaking. The veteran forward was said to have called out Griffin for not properly structuring the Bucks’ offense late in games.
The report stated that Griffin welcomed the criticism and acknowledged that he needs to be “more aggressive with his play-calling.” Portis responded by calling the player-coach relationship a “two-way street.” Portis said that the coach needs to provide the direction, then it’s up to the players to execute.
Portis scored just 4 points with 6 rebounds across 18 minutes during Thursday’s loss.
Griffin, who is in his first year as a head coach, replaced former Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer in May.
The exchange with Portis was not the first time Griffin was challenged within the locker room this season. The Bucks play-caller reportedly had a run-in with former assistant coach Terry Stotts, who decided to step down following the disagreement between the two. Stotts previously coached Damian Lillard on the Portland Trail Blazers for nearly a decade before following the All-Star to Milwaukee.
Despite the loss to the Pacers, the Bucks have still won 10 of their last 13 games and have a 15-7 record through 22 contests. But it’s clear that the revamped Bucks squad and its rookie head coach are still going through some growing pains.
