New 76ers coach Nick Nurse hopes he has the therapy that may get the group past Spherical Two of the NBA Playoffs.
By Chris Murray
For the Philadelphia Sunday
Of their newest try and carry the Metropolis of Philadelphia its first NBA title since 1983, the Philadelphia 76ers launched new head coach Nick Nurse to the media and a fan base that’s shedding endurance.
Nurse’s mandate is straightforward: do one thing that Doc Rivers and Brett Brown couldn’t do: Win an NBA title or on the very least get out of the second spherical — one thing they haven’t executed since 2001.
Over the previous couple of years, the group has watched the NBA Finals from their homes because of some actually unhealthy collection losses, the newest to the Boston Celtics in a Mom’s Day sport that in all probability ruined dinner for quite a lot of individuals.
However that’s the previous, Nurse stated in his introductory information convention final week. It’s time to concentrate on the right here and now.
“I don’t actually vibrate on the frequency of the previous,” he stated. “To me, after we get an opportunity to start out and dig into this factor a bit of bit, it’s going to be solely targeted on what we’re attempting to do going ahead. No matter’s occurred for the final what number of years doesn’t matter to me…. It’s a clear slate for me. I’m wanting ahead to methods to get it executed from begin to end.”
Sadly, the media saved urgent the second-round exit challenge. Nurse stated the one approach to face it’s simply to face it.
“We’re going to hit that head-on,” Nurse stated. “We all know that we’re judged on how we play within the playoffs. It was the identical in Toronto that we hadn’t performed that properly and sure gamers hadn’t performed that properly. The truth is that’s the reality, so I might think about from day one we’re going to speak about that. We’re going to should assault we’re going to should face it and rise above it.”
Daryl Morey, 76ers president of basketball operations, stated Nurse was chosen due to his .610 postseason successful proportion, his 227-163 profession report, and, after all, he led the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA title.
“Clearly, it’s his championship pedigree at a number of ranges is an enormous issue,” Morey. (Nurse’s) creativity. He checks each field, his relationship with gamers, and dealing with star gamers, his techniques. He’s somebody that individuals across the league would play for. It’s a fairly lengthy listing and we thought he was a fairly particular candidate. … We expect it’s one step in direction of a championship and we predict it’s an vital step.”
Nurse’s problem is to show the NBA’s 2023 Most worthy participant Joel Embiid into a greater, extra clutch model of himself. On the very least, he should put Embiid in a greater place to maximise his expertise. That’s going to be powerful and it’s one thing that Nurse should determine shortly earlier than the group’s championship window involves an in depth.
He additionally faces the very distinct risk that James Harden and the Sixers will quickly half methods. Whereas many within the Delaware Valley have been amassing packing bins for the erstwhile level guard, Nurse is hoping Harden decides to remain.
“James has a choice to make, and I might be very pleased if he got here again,” Nurse stated.
If Harden shouldn’t be coming again, Nurse will little doubt expect extra from 6-foot-2 guard Tyrese Maxey, who appears to get higher yearly. Throughout this previous season, he averaged 20.3 factors per sport and dished out 3.5 assists per sport.
Nurse stated he thinks a participant like Maxey is even hungrier to get even higher to go alongside his along with his velocity to the basket and his enhancing potential to shoot the basketball. He believes that as Maxey improves as a scorer, he could be even higher as somebody who can create alternatives for others to attain.
“He’s (Maxey) obtained an amazing probability to enhance and take a step ahead,” Nurse stated. “There are some specifics I might say …Be extra of a creator …creating is you’re scoring or drawing extra individuals than one, and you then’re creating for others. Can he make all of the reads? I believe that’s the primary place I might begin offensively is getting extra reps within the choose and roll so he could make the reads to all of the gamers on the ground relying upon what he sees.”
Harden’s imminent departure will imply that the Sixers might be scouring the earth for a free-agent taking pictures guard who can play protection. Many of the hypothesis by followers and quite a lot of media retailers are saying that Toronto Raptors free agent level guard Fred VanVleet, who averaged 19.3 factors per sport and shot 34 % from three-point vary throughout 2022-2023 season whereas taking part in for Nurse this season.
