Doc Rivers Talks Challenge of Taking over Bucks: 'Wouldn't Wish This on Anyone'

Doc Rivers may be excited about the opportunity to coach Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, but he knows it won't be easy taking over in the middle of the season.

"I've never done this. I wouldn't wish this on anyone," Rivers told reporters Saturday. "It's going to be a challenge."

The Bucks hired Rivers as head coach after firing Adrian Griffin despite the team going 30-13 through the first 43 games.

While Milwaukee had a solid record under Griffin, the team's defense was perhaps the worst it had been in recent memory. As of Saturday, the Bucks rank 19th overall with a 117.2 defensive rating, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

Rivers will now be tasked with helping the Bucks improve their defense to a championship level while also maintaining an offense that ranks third in the league with a 121.0 efficiency rating.

The Bucks enter Saturday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans second in the Eastern Conference with a 31-14 record, four games back of the Celtics. Rivers won't make his Milwaukee coaching debut until Monday's matchup against the Denver Nuggets, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.