The Philadelphia 76ers failed to make it to the Conference Finals yet again this year. The team has been rebuilding ever since drafting Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Though in the last six postseason appearances, the team hasn’t managed to get past the second round.
Philly had a great chance this year, with new adjustments being James Harden with Embiid, but couldn’t close out the series in Game 7 versus the Celtics. Doc Rivers took the responsibility to take this team to the promised land.
Not only did the team fail to make it past the second round, but Doc also lost another crucial Game 7. Following the loss against Boston, the Sixers fired Doc Rivers. Going down the table in the East, the Raptors fired their head coach as well. Nick Nurse had led the team to a championship in 2019, though the following years were a struggle for the Raps.
Can Nick Nurse complete Philly’s process?
Nurse served as the Raps’ assistant coach for five years, following which he was promoted to the role of head coach. In his first season as the head coach, Nurse led Toronto to its first championship.
The next few seasons saw a change in the roster as well as various other adjustments in the middle of the season. After failing to make it to the playoffs this season, the Raptors fired Nick Nurse. Though it didn’t take long for the Sixers to grab the opportunity and hire Nurse as the new head coach for Philly.
ESPN Sources: Nick Nurse has reached an agreement to become the next coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Nurse — who won an NBA championship and a coach of year award with Toronto — now gets to coach the 2023 MVP Joel Embiid. pic.twitter.com/SrsXhzx7Y3
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 29, 2023
Having coached a championship team, the Sixers do believe Nurse to be an excellent teacher to the players. Nurse’s 2019 run with the Raps was led by Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, and players like Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka. The team was well-balanced on both ends of the floor.
Though the same can’t be said about the Sixers. James Harden, the former MVP who is willing to play under the scoring leadership of Embiid, isn’t quite adjusting so perfectly. Joel is not a great leader himself. Players like Maxey and Harris have great potential to be the crucial key to a possible ring.
This won’t be an easy task for Nick, as balancing the team with such scorers would be tough. Not only does the team need an organized floor, but their defense also needs some work.
The Sixers haven’t made it past the second round since the 2001 postseason. Under Embiid, the team has six playoff appearances. The team faced a loss in the second round five times out of the six. It may be about time that the Philly fans finally deserve to see their team in the Finals.