Bucks Zone

Brook Lopez to relish having Doc Rivers as head coach: "It's going to be very beneficial for us"

The Bucks are excited to hear a new voice leading the locker room.
Jonas Panerio|
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Milwaukee Bucks

Glenn “Doc” Rivers has established a long and decorated career over two decades. He has 1,097 wins in 24 seasons as head coach with four different squads and has won an NBA title, steering the Boston Celtics to the championship in 2008. Brook Lopez is aware of Rivers’ work and hopes the latter’s veteran savvy would benefit the Milwaukee Bucks in their quest to add a second NBA title in the last four years.

Excited to have Rivers on board

Could Doc be what the doctor ordered for the Bucks’ campaign this season? Milwaukee has been one of the best teams in the NBA this season, compiling a 32-14 record. However, there remains an unease with the consistency of their play, be it their subpar defense or the lack of flow of their offense. Lopez hopes that having Rivers would alleviate these concerns and elevate the team to a higher level.

“I played against Doc a ton in my career. I’m excited to have him here. I think, obviously, he has tons of experience. He’s been in the NBA, played in the NBA for a very long time. So, it’ll be good to have in this locker room kind of an outside perspective to what’s been going on this year on the court with the team. We get to use his outside POV and all his wisdom he has. It’s going to be very beneficial for us,” Lopez said.

Doc has something to prove

One of the biggest knocks on Rivers’ coaching career has been his inability to close out opponents in the postseason. With this hanging over his head, Bucks forward Bobby Portis believes this is ample motivation for Doc to prove his critics wrong.

“It’s going to be fun just to get coached by someone who has something to prove as well,” Portis said.

“Being on the team with other guys, who obviously, we all have something to prove. Not saying we failed over the last couple of years, but we didn’t achieve what was sought out to be the goal, so having a coach that’s low-key in the same boat as us is great. It’s refreshing as well to have everybody on the same page and have guys that ultimately have a little chip on their shoulder.”

Doc Rivers to sign a four-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks

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Jonas Panerio
JONAS PANERIO