The Philadelphia 76ers have struggled in the 2022-23 NBA season. They are currently 1-4, the start no one predicted despite some tough games early in their schedule.
If you hope to compete for a championship, you’ll need to win a few games against higher level opponents. The 76ers haven’t been able to do that yet, having already lost to the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors.
If these losses continue to accumulate, some changes may need to be made. Could the firing of head coach Doc Rivers be one of them? According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, that’s something Bill Simmons has suggested, as Simmons believes Rivers will be the first coach fired this season.
That’s not something Lowe necessarily agrees with, but he admitted it’s being discussed in league circles. Unfortunately, Lowe doesn’t think that’s realistic given the current atmosphere around the team.
“Doc Rivers, Bill Simmons has been saying for weeks on his podcast that Doc could be the first coach fired,” Zach Lowe recently said on his podcast. “Certainly people are talking about it in the league ecosystem, but I don’t know to what extent that talk is reality and this is Daryl Morey’s team. this is this is the [Houston] Rockets reunion tour. This is ‘I waited for my long lost love, James Harden’. I waited and waited and got it back, this is it. This is the team and they have to be better than this. For me, the offense is fine. We’ll see that’s where I give them time, sure, it takes time to get that snap. Start trying transition defense because what’s on the floor right now is embarrassing.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Updates from Doc Rivers and Philadelphia 76ers
James Harden looks like an MVP again, finally overcoming nagging hamstring injuries that have bothered him for more than a season. With Harden rounding out in form, it means there are some things that need to be worked out on both sides of the ball.
Philly has to find a way for him and Joel Embiid to co-exist even though their strengths don’t mesh perfectly. Embiid needs to embrace becoming a roller to the rim a bit more, as it will make things easier not only for him but for the rest of the starting five. They are too good basketball players, especially on the offensive end, not to notice.
Defensively, as Lowe pointed out, that’s where they need to make the most adjustments. In past seasons they could rely on their defense to win them some games if the offense stalled, but that hasn’t been the case yet this season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Updates from Doc Rivers and Philadelphia 76ers
There are some concerns that Embiid didn’t come into the season in the best shape, which is hurting his performance on that side of the floor. As the anchor of the defense, Embiid isn’t performing up to par. Hopefully that changes as you get fitter. It’s still early days, but the 76ers can’t dig a hole too big to get out.