Eagles’ Jalen Mills Opens Up On 76ers Next Coach, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid

Jalen Mills

Getty Jalen Mills will return to the Eagles in 2020 in a hybrid role as a safety and cornerback.

The Philadelphia 76ers are in the market for a new coach after firing Brett Brown.

Who should they hire?

“I would go with Pop,” Philadelphia Eagles safety, Jalen Mills told me on the Heavy Live With Scoop B Show.

“I feel like he’s a guy who – you think about the Spurs. You had Tim Duncan… you know, they had a couple of guys over there but, he was a guy who knows how to facilitate the floor.”

Ah yes, Pop!

Gregg Popovich for those tardy to the party.

Popovich was on the Brooklyn Nets’ radar as a coaching candidate. The Nets debunked that myth on Thursday when they hired Steve Nash as their next head coach.

 

Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach, Tyronn Lue believed to be the favorite, currently Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach, Jason Kidd has also been linked to Philly.

An NBA Coach of the Year Award winner three times, Popovich won five championships with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. Eyebrows raised mid-week when Popovich’s home was placed back on market for $3 million.

Jalen Mills thinks Popovich is just what the Sixers need in the City of Brotherly Love. “He knows how to put the right five guys on the floor at the right time,” Mills tells Heavy Live With Scoop B.

“And then his bench players are going to come in and there’s not going to be too much of a drop off. And they had these… and they weren’t top five guys in the league. He just had great players who were able to do what they did best and he got guys to that spot. So me, I think I would go with Pop.

While the Philadelphia Eagles begin their season on Sunday September 13 against the Washington Football Team, Mills says he’s been paying attention to the NBA Playoffs. A native of Dallas, Texas, Mills says he’s paid attention to the hometown Mavericks and their All Star Luka Doncic. He’s also marveled at the play of the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo. “I got three key guys that I’ve been paying attention to,” he said. Luka you know, you got Giannis and [Jayson]Tatum. I like Tatum out of Boston.”

Ben Simmons

Getty ImagesSixers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are enjoying their partnership in Philadelphia and want to win a title together.

Tatum’s Celtics swept the 76ers in the NBA Playoff and many are wondering what will happen next.

“I’ve been in Philadelphia going on five years now,” said Mills.

“Boston seems like to be the ‘kyrptonite’. We went and got Al Horford and then going into this game – Ben Simmons is hurt now, so that really is kind of who you run your offense through outside of Embiid so you don’t have another dominant scorer that can give you 20, or maybe 30 points if he has to so, I think the word that I can describe the season is disappointing.”

Million Dollar Question: Should the Sixers trade Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid though? “I say you keep them,” said Mills.

“But what you also do is, a guy that I would also say that the Sixers should probably pursue that is a true scorer like a Devin Booker; somebody like that who can – now you have a threat of someone who can NOW hit the three. Ben’s not going to shoot the three, so now you got a guy that can shoot the three, you got a guy that can get to the rack and now you have a dominant force like Embiid who can do both.”