Date of Doc Rivers’ coaching debut with Bucks revealed
Mar 22, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers enters the building before the game against the Chicago Bulls at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
The beginning of the Doc Rivers era in Milwaukee is just around the corner.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Rivers is expected to make his Bucks head coaching debut on Monday against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo.
Doc Rivers is expected to make his Milwaukee Bucks coaching debut vs. the Denver Nuggets on Monday, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 27, 2024
The Bucks fired their previous head coach Adrian Griffin earlier this week. Rivers was announced as his successor shortly thereafter — a move that may have been brewing for weeks.
The Bucks have gone 1-1 in the two games since Griffin’s firing. Veteran assistant Joe Prunty will serve as the interim head coach for the third and final game on Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans before Rivers takes over.
Rivers will have the unorthodox challenge of commandeering a contender midway through the season. NBA coaches typically integrate their systems and plays during training camp and only make tweaks here and there as the season rolls along. Rivers will be tasked we doing everything on the fly for a Bucks team with clear title aspirations.
It’s not impossible for a team to win a championship after making a midseason coaching change. In 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers famously fired head coach David Blatt in favor of Tyronn Lue. They ended up winning the title in June.
However, Lue was already in the Cavs’ building as a respected assistant in Cleveland. He was familiar with strengths, weaknesses, and personalities on the team.
Rivers joins a Bucks squad with a completely clean slate. While undoubtedly a huge challenge, Rivers’ new situation allows him to try to rewrite the disparaging narrative that’s surrounded him of late.
