Adrian Griffin joining Bucks is massive blow to Raptors coaching search

The latest news from Milwaukee has blown the Toronto Raptors coaching race wide open. After Nick Nurse pulled his name out of candidacy, former assistant coach Adrian Griffin has been announced as the next head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.

After five seasons as the lead assistant coach under Nurse, Adrian Griffin now finds himself at the top of the staff after being recommended by Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Now that Griffin has been announced, the Bucks have set the Raptors’ coaching plans ablaze. After the firing of Nick Nurse, Toronto announced they were interviewing Griffin as a candidate for the head job. The Raptors were seemingly hoping to keep Griffin on the staff to maintain the current system for the players moving forward if they hired him.

What does Adrian Griffin’s hiring mean for the Toronto Raptors?

With Griffin leaving for the Bucks position, the Raptors have lost their last remnant of the Nick Nurse system and will be left to look for an outside hire. Although another former assistant, Sergio Scariolo, has been interviewed, his commitments to coaching in Spain make him a very busy man and an unlikely hire.

With Griffin out as a candidate for the Raptors’ head position, few quality, proven candidates remain.

Ex-Suns head coach Monty Williams rejected a “big money offer” from the Detroit Pistons and may be taking a season off. Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson was in the race for the Milwaukee job as well, but the Griffin hire keeps his options open. Lastly, one candidate was not in the Bucks race at all, and one of only a few to reportedly impress the front office, is the maligned Steve Nash.

Since the Raptors have now lost Nurse and Griffin, the next Raptors head coach will be coming to the team with an entirely new coaching system. It may be the case that the Raptors look to Nash and his fast-paced offense to open up the Raptors’ scoring opportunities, but that might not be the best move due to his struggles with the Nets.

Griffin might not satisfy everyone’s taste, especially those who want a clean slate, but he had familiarity and a past relationship with Toronto’s biggest names.

Whether this could be a hindrance or an improvement for Toronto remains to be seen, but what can be seen is that the 2023-24 Raptors will be “new look” as the Nurse era is officially over.