The Philadelphia 76ers, coached by Nick Nurse, are tied for dead last in the Eastern Conference, and the hole they’ve dug for themselves is dark and deep. Even with Joel Embiid back, sort of, the team is 2-11 and has dropped four in a row. Simply put, the Sixers are a hot mess. Rumblings have begun to rise, and they almost assuredly will grow louder if the Sixers continue down this road, that Nurse should be fired. Philadelphia should refrain from taking that course of action because he is not the sole problem.
76ers Problems Don’t Reflect Nick Nurse’s Coaching Acumen
76ers Problems Are Not Solely on Their Head Coach
First, Nurse should want out. He’s in the middle of a colossal disaster piece that he kind of signed up for when taking the job. Perhaps he took a risk, hoping the pastures would be much greener with Embiid’s superstar potential driving the Sixers franchise. Well, those pastures are dead and withered, at least momentarily. Can Philly climb out of their hole? Yes, there’s a chance, albeit a chance that continues to grow hazier and hazier after each disappointing loss. However, if this season is about to be counted as a failure on Nurse, it would be an unfair sentencing. There are other and, more considerable, extenuating circumstances at play.
Second, Nurse shouldn’t be sacrificed because his team’s most important player isn’t what Shaquille O’Neal expects him to be. It’s not on Nurse that Embiid’s body is his sworn arch nemesis. Nurse can only coach Embiid to the extent that Embiid can play. Even after returning from his injury and suspension, Embiid is not playing well. While you can point to the element of getting back into game shape, the 76ers don’t necessarily have time for that. The other factor here is Tyrese Maxey‘s absence. If Maxey were in the lineup, the Sixers wouldn’t be 2-11, arguably so. A healthy Maxey could likely compliment Embiid’s 14.7 PPG average and Paul George‘s 16.7 PPG average and propel the Sixers to more wins.
Unfortunately, Nurse doesn’t have that luxury at the moment. All he has is a slow, mediocre Embiid and George, who’s not playing to the talent level he’s capable of.
Rethinking Rotations Can Help Calm the Waters
If there is one area that Nurse can cue in on, it’s his rotations—specifically, Guerschon Yabusele. The Frenchman has turned into one of the Sixers’ only bright spots on the season; he’s also become one of their best players. However, Nurse hasn’t played him enough. Yabusele played just ten minutes in Monday’s loss to the Miami Heat despite being a perfect rotation piece against an undersized Miami roster. A game featuring opponent size deficiencies is ideal for a big man like Yabusele to excel and prove his long-term worth to the Sixers organization. Yabusele also could have helped win the game.
Yabusele is just one rotation example that Nurse needs to rethink. Overall, the players who are supposed to drive the team offensively are not. On top of that, Embiid will surely miss more games. Aside from the planned back-to-back situation, he will miss one of the two scheduled games. While a coach can always improve his game plan, Nurse is hardly the sole issue in this case. He’s coaching an incomplete team that can’t be relied on to stay healthy. Should he be fired? No. Should he want out? Maybe, but expect Nurse to stay the season. As I said, there is a chance the Sixers can pull themselves out of this mess.
