“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” Doc Rivers reacts to taking over Giannis Antetokoumpo and Bucks mid-season

Doc Rivers has been officially hired as the new head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, and now will hope to get the best out of Giannis and Lillard.

“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” Doc Rivers reacts to taking over Giannis Antetokoumpo and Bucks mid-season

Doc Rivers was introduced as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. (image via Open Source, X)

The Milwaukee Bucks have finally completed the signing of Doc Rivers as their head coach. The legendary head coach was recently introduced to the media for the first time. Rivers agreed to a contract after lengthy talks with the Bucks front office.

At the Bucks PR center, Rivers and GM Jon Horst were ready to answer questions. Rivers was asked questions on how he would go about the goal of winning the championship. A specific question was as to how he would jump in with the team mid-way through a season. Rivers replied;

I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. It's a challenge that I'm running towards.
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Rivers alluded that the challenge is something he has never faced before. What he meant is that he has to take the team currently 2nd in the Eastern Conference on their way to a championship. Rivers wants to get the team organized as soon as possible.

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The head coach added that they cannot afford to try and change things too much. There is a rhythm that has brought the team so far. Although there are things he would like to change, time is at a premium. He claimed that there were only a handful of practice days for him to get his point across.

Doc Rivers acknowledged the task at hand. With less than half a season available, it will not be easy to bring the team to improve on all the aspects they lacked so far. His experience in handling superstars for the majority of his career as a coach will help him take charge. The Bucks, after all, have two bonafide superstars and a couple more all-star-level players, enough to launch a championship run, in theory.

How Doc Rivers can guide the Bucks to another championship

Doc Rivers acknowledged the lack of defense from the Bucks. He mentioned that he noticed the lapses on the defensive side while watching the Bucks play against the New Orleans Pelicans tonight. One of the reasons the Bucks fired Adrian Griffin was that he could not get the team to play defense. The ownership and front office felt that it would impede the team from making a serious run for the championship.

Doc Rivers has his work cut out with the Bucks as half of the season is already over
Doc Rivers has his work cut out with the Bucks as half of the season is already over (image via Open source, X)

Rivers has to bring the best out of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, both on offense and defense. He acknowledged Lillard is not as good a defender as former player Jrue Holiday. But it is not an excuse for the lapses in defense the whole team has been showing. Rivers also has to bring the whole team together after reports of bickering in the locker room.

Doc Rivers has to galvanize the team to accept his teachings and move towards their common goal, i.e. the NBA Championship. Questions will be raised if the season ends without a championship run.

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