3 reasons why Nick Nurse would be the best fit as Sixers new coach
The Philadelphia 76ers are in the process of looking for a new head coach after moving on from Doc Rivers after three seasons on the job. The Sixers won a ton of games under Rivers, but they were bounced in Round 2 of the playoffs for three straight seasons.
Therefore, the Sixers decided it was time to move on. While the move was a shock to Joel Embiid, the team now has to make sure they get the next hire right as they move forward on their championship quest.
There have been a slew of names mentioned as candidates for the position and this edition will focus on Nick Nurse. The Sixers will meet with Nurse for the position and here are three reasons why he’d be a great fit:
Championship pedigree
Nurse brings a championship on his resume so he understands what it takes to win. He won a title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and while most will point to the fact that they had Kawhi Leonard and that LeBron James was out of the East, he still had to guide Toronto through some tough moments.
On that title run, the Raptors dropped Game 1 at home in Round 1 to the Orlando Magic, they had to battle through seven tough games against the Sixers, and they then had to climb out of a 2-0 hole against the Milwaukee Bucks. Toronto wrapped up that title by winning three games on the road against the Golden State Warriors. Nurse has proven to be a battle-tested coach.
Nurse is defensive minded
Nurse’s Raptors teams were never offensive juggernauts outside of the championship season. Toronto was fifth in offensive rating in the 2018-19 season, but other than that season, they did not crack the top 10 in offensive rating.
What Nurse’s Raptors terms brought was toughness and defensive intensity. Of course, it helped that Toronto featured a lot of length, but he would likely be able to bring a lot of defensive tactics in order to help Philadelphia take the next step. Of course, the Sixers were 8th in defensive rating in the 2022-23 season, but it doesn’t hurt to have a defensive-minded coach on a roster filled with mostly offensive-minded players.
Nurse's teams are gritty
The Raptors were essentially the epitome of the “he got that dawg in him” meme. Those Raptors teams were gritty, they had a toughness to them, and they understood what it took to win in this league under Nurse. The Sixers, who have been lamenting a lack of toughness throughout the previous few seasons, could use a guy like Nurse to push them forward and demand toughness out of them.
