Former Clippers 6th MOY spills the beans on Doc Rivers' complex relationship with players

A top 15 coach of all time, Doc Rivers has had a lot of ups and downs as a mentor of teams. While the former COTY has a great resume, he has also been at the receiving end of various playoff upsets, including blowing a 3-1 lead multiple times.

Over the years, there has been a faction of players voicing their grievances while playing under Coach Doc, be it Paul George, JJ Redick, or Chris Paul. When it comes to his coaching style, there has been a lot of scrutiny regarding his adjustments, rotations, and style of running the offense.

Nonetheless, few can take pride in delivering a championship to a legacy franchise like the Boston Celtics. Hence, it isn’t like Rivers doesn’t know his job, something you can ask players like Lou Williams about, who recently gave Doc his flowers for playing a crucial role in his career.

Lou Williams reveals Doc Rivers’ contributions to his career

In his four years under Doc’s mentorship, Williams won two of his three 6th MOY awards. Coming off the bench the 6-foot-1 guard averaged 19.1 PPG and 5.1 APG. Ironically, Lou was unsure about joining the Clippers, but Coach Rivers convinced him, leading to the best career phase.

"I love Doc. It's a grey area with Doc. Either guys really love him, or they've got the worst (expletive) in the world to say about Doc. That wasn't my experience," disclosed Williams. "There's a handful of guys that really don't rock with Doc. I have to tell you, that wasn't my experience man. When I got here, I thought my career was done, so I wasn't excited to be a Clipper. Doc reassured me. That ended up being the best run of my career. That made people appreciate everything that I put into it, and I give Doc a lot of credit for that."

Though there are several polarizing views of Doc, one cannot help but take notice of his accolades. A coaching record of 1113-782, having close to a 59% success rate. The 62-year-old has also been a four-time All-Star Game head coach.

Can Doc pull it off with the Bucks in the upcoming season?

Coaching the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Coach Rivers has some of the best in the business. Nevertheless, the Bucks’ defense has been a major issue, especially after losing Jrue Holiday in the Lillard trade.

Therefore, the Bucks assignment could prove to be a game-changer for Rivers.

Related: Throwback - Former Clippers coach Doc Rivers had no intentions of playing blame game with Paul George