ESPN's Stephen A. Smith boldly predicts Bucks head coach 'Adrian Griffin is going to get himself fired'

christopher kuhagen, milwaukee journal sentinel

Fri, Jan 5, 2024, 5:16 AM·5 min read

At 24-10 entering their game Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks have the second-most wins in the Eastern Conference and all the NBA.

But coming off their fourth loss to the Indiana Pacers in five games this season on Wednesday night and allowing a season-high 142 points, the Bucks were at the center of a lot of the conversations around the NBA today.

Particularly with Stephen A. Smith on his daily ESPN debate show.

"I don’t care that they’re 23-6 against everybody else outside of their 1-4 record against the Indiana Pacers," Smith said on "First Take" Thursday.

Sure, the Pacers light up almost everyone. They're the league's top-scoring offense for a reason.

But Smith, who has covered the NBA for over three decades, wasn't going to let the Bucks, Damian Lillard and first-year head coach Adrian Griffin off the hook.

He claims Griffin could be fired if something doesn't change with the Bucks' dreadful defense.

Here's more on what Smith said and the context behind it:

Stephen A. Smith: 'Adrian Griffin is going to get himself fired'

Smith is known for making bold statements across a multitude of platforms. It's what has helped him become ESPN's top personality.

So, after the Bucks' latest defensive disaster on Wednesday against a team that has no fear of them, Smith made a couple regarding the Bucks.

The first was about Griffin, who is less than three months into his first season leading the Bucks.

"I’m not wishing for this," Smith said. "We all know where I stand with Black coaches getting an opportunity. I don’t think there’s anybody that’s spoken out about that more than I have. Having said that, fair is fair, Adrian Griffin is going to get himself fired."

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Smith, who once called Milwaukee "a terrible city," wasn’t done with the predictions for the Bucks, though.

"Miami can beat Milwaukee again," Smith claimed. "And oh, by the way, Philly can beat Milwaukee."

Milwaukee's season ended last year in the first round of the playoffs when Jimmy Butler and the eighth-seeded Miami Heat stormed past Giannis Antetokounmpo and the No. 1-seeded Bucks in five stunning games.

“Milwaukee might not even be a top four team when all is said and done if they keep this nonsense up," Smith continued. "They better get it together, especially Adrian Griffin."

The Bucks, who boast a roster full of veterans, is Griffin's first head coaching job.

Adrian Griffin is in his first season as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Adrian Griffin succeeded Mike Budenholzer this past offseason as Bucks coach

Griffin replaced Mike Budenholzer, who coached the Bucks to the 2021 NBA title, but was fired shortly after the Bucks lost to the Heat in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.

Budenholzer’s teams were known for their team’s defense, often ranking among the best in defensive rating. Griffin’s team this season is 21st of 30 teams in this stat, despite the coach coming in with high expectations on this side of the ball.

"You are the successor to Mike Budenholzer," Smith said. "When have we complained about a Mike Budenholzer defense? When you look at it from that perspective and you know the ingredients to winning has already been displayed because you’re just a few years from capturing a championship. Nobody is going to go for this level of porous defense that we’ve been seeing from the Milwaukee Bucks."

Bucks defensive stats in 2023-24, Milwaukee can't stop Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers

The Bucks are allowing 119.7 points per game, which is 24th in the league. Other Eastern Conference contenders are all in the top 10. The Philadelphia 76ers are ranked fourth, allowing 110.5; the Boston Celtics are fifth at 110.8; Miami is sixth at 111.5.

The Pacers and Oshkosh native Tyrese Haliburton have especially loved playing against the Bucks this season. Haliburton, a budding superstar who leads Eastern Conference backcourt players in All-Star voting, is averaging 28.5 points a game in the Pacers’ four wins over Milwaukee.

The Pacers are 19-14 this season, though just 15-13 against everyone outside of the Bucks. Indiana is averaging 128.8 points in the five games against the Bucks, two points better than their season average.

"This is the NBA," Smith said. "You know what other teams are going to do — look (at) what Indiana is doing and make sure you do it themselves."

"We go small you can’t stop us," Smith added about the Pacers' approach when they play the Bucks. "Can you guard the smaller dudes? No, they can’t. Haliburton is having a field day with them. They’re busting their you-know-little-what.”

Damian Lillard has struggled against the Indiana Pacers this week, shooting just 26% from the floor in two Bucks losses.

Damian Lillard stats, Stephen A. Smith comments on Bucks guard

The player right behind Haliburton in All-Star voting is Lillard, the multiple-time All-NBA guard acquired before the season to get the Bucks over the hump and back to the NBA Finals.

Smith said Lillard isn't producing to the level that the Bucks need.

"We know Damian Lillard is a superstar, we understand that and we know he’s been exceptional for the most part," Smith said. "But his defense has been questionable to be kind. When you’re the replacement to Jrue Holiday the reality of the situation is one of two things (have) got to happen. You have to elevate your level of defensive prowess or you have to be so explosive, so other worldly offensively that it offsets what you’re lacking defensively."

For the season, Lillard is averaging 25.4 points per game in 35.2 minutes. He’s shooting 42.8% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range, percentages that aren't too far off from his career averages.

Lillard certainly hasn't been “other worldly” against the Pacers on offense.

In the last two games against the Pacers — both losses for the Bucks — he’s shooting just 26% on 9 of 34 from the field and 3 of 17 from three-point range. He scored 23 and 13 points in the games.