The belief in Adrian Griffin was short-lived, even after Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo vouched for him prior to his hiring by Milwaukee. 

But that quickly changed as Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reported that Antetokounmpo and other Bucks veterans “lost faith in Griffin” before the surprise firing of the head coach on Tuesday. 

The rumblings about the players’ feelings on Griffin were circulating in NBA circles for weeks, according to the report. 

The Bucks decided to fire Griffin despite a 30-13 record, which is the best mark for a coach who was let go since David Blatt was 30-11 before his dismissal from the Cavaliers in 2016.

Antetokounmpo played a large role in helping to get Griffin the job in the first place when he spoke positively about the former Toronto Raptors assistant coach during the Bucks interview process. 

The NBA superstar had met with Griffin, according to a report from Chris Haynes at the time.

Antetokounmpo, along with fellow star Khris Middleton, also sat down with general manager Jon Horst and the ownership team over dinner to help decide on a coach. 

But it seems that concerns about the team’s defense — Milwaukee has allowed the sixth most points per game at 120.5 — were enough for the front office to make a change. 

The Bucks’ defensive rating of 116.8 sits at 22nd in the NBA, a major dip from the 110.9 rating they had last season. 

The situation has a reminiscent feel of when the Cavs fired Blatt. 

At the time, Cleveland.com reported that the Cavs had similarly “lost belief” in Blatt, and Cleveland’s front office made the similar move that Milwaukee did on Tuesday.

The Cavaliers went on to win the NBA championship under Tyronn Lue.

The Bucks are now said to be interested in bringing Doc Rivers in for the job, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Milwaukee hasn’t reached out yet to talk with the former NBA coach. 

They are expected to touch base with Rivers soon to gauge his interest.