MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU) – The Milwaukee Bucks will be down an assistant coach to begin the NBA season after Terry Stotts announced unexpectedly on Thursday that he will be leaving the team.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, why he’s leaving just one week before Milwaukee’s season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 26 is unknown. Stotts joined the team in June, and his years of coaching experience on the sidelines provided a strong counterpoint to first-year head coach Adrian Griffin.
When Griffin was asked on Thursday about Stott’s sudden departure he simply stated, “You’re going to have to ask Terry…It was his decision.”
Many NBA fans will be wondering if his departure is related to Milwaukee trading for Damian Lillard. Stotts coached Lillard with the Portland Trail Blazers for nine seasons. When Portland let go of Stotts following the 2020–21 season, there didn’t appear to be any friction between him and Lillard.
However, Damian Lillard struggled against Oklahoma City earlier this week, going 2-for-11 for just five points in 25 minutes of play. He has also failed to get a field goal percentage of at least 30% in his first two preseason appearances.
The team has not yet announced plans as to when they will be hosting interviews for the position at this time.
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