The Milwaukee Bucks began their NBA 2K24 Summer League campaign with a 92-85 victory over the Denver Nuggets, but a footnote for attentive Illinois fans was that former Illini Alan Griffin spent all 40 minutes watching from the sidelines.
As one of just two organizations scheduled on back-to-back nights to open the event, Griffin’s fresh legs could have benefitted a Bucks squad that saw hefty minutes from select individuals. All told, just five of Milwaukee’s ten active players accounted for 68% of the minutes against Denver (138/200).
The Phoenix Suns were scheduled for day two, with the inherent advantage of making their Summer League debut rather than fatigue from prior performances. Head coach Adrian Griffin, the father of Alan, began the night with the exact same starting lineup as the day prior, which featured a mix of both contracted NBA players and exhibit players.
Meanwhile, Griffin found himself in the same position as he was 24 hours prior, setting up shop on the floor by the end of the bench while sporting a flashy dyed-green buzz.
Throughout the first half, a more selfish Illini fan may have been excited to see the Bucks trailing by double digits for significant stretches, as at this rate, blowout minutes may be the only time Griffin is given a shot. During this time, an observant viewer would have noticed that Griffin even moved from his coveted position at the baseline and took a seat in the middle of the bench for the first time.
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But after shaving off a couple of points for a halftime score of 50-40, it soon became clear that Milwaukee was nowhere near out of the race. A surge from 2022 first-round pick MarJon Beauchamp pushed the game within a couple of possessions, and from there Griffin’s possibility of seeing the floor shrunk even further.
Leaping blocks from rookie Andre Jackson Jr., thunderous putback dunks from former Chicago Bull Tyler Cook and even a double-digit scoring performance from fan-favorite Tacko Fall ultimately lifted the Bucks to an 84-75 victory.
Griffin, who is assuredly more pleased with his team’s come from behind win than the opportunity to play meaningless minutes while losing significantly, seemingly sits in his worst position so far from a minutes perspective. The Bucks are currently the only 2-0 team at Summer League and have a real shot at advancing out of the Summer League’s four game group stage. If continuing to win and advance as far as possible is Milwaukee’s ultimate goal, the likelihood of Griffin getting time on the floor may continue to drop.
Adding salt to the wound, a pair of legitimate Bucks players in two-way guard Lindell Wigginton and recently re-signed sophomore AJ Green have sat out both games. Assuming they return to the lineup at some point, that will just mean even more competition for Griffin.
Despite all of this, Illinois fans know why Griffin should be the first one given a shot if Milwaukee decides to dip any further than the 10-11 man rotations they have fielded thus far. Being an 8.9 point per game scorer on 41.6% from three-point range in his best year wearing orange and blue, Griffin could most certainly be useful for a Bucks squad that made just one three-pointer in the second half of today’s contest and is shooting 22.9% from distance across both games (11/48).
The Milwaukee Bucks and Griffin will be looking to move to 3-0 on Tuesday at 5 p.m. CDT, where they will share the court with the Brooklyn Nets on ESPNU.
@blountco21
