Getty Head coach Doc Rivers talks with Tyrese Maxey #0 against the Miami Heat during the first half in Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
There are few people in the world who have been around basketball as much as Doc Rivers. The current head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers is heading into his 24th season as a head coach. During this time he received the honors of the 1999-00 NBA Coach of the Year, 12 Coach of the Month Honors, and was named one of the 15 greatest coaches by the NBA last season. Prior to this, he also had a 13-year playing career in which he was named an all-star during the 1987-88 season.
Rivers recently joined the Woj Podcast with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski where he reflected on his illustrious career and gave a positive outlook on the upcoming Sixers season. One topic that was discussed was how much coaching NBA players has changed throughout the years. Rivers and Wojnarowski both went into detail about how the landscape of things outside of basketball has had a major impact on how players can be coached.
Brand Deals an Issue?
One interesting point that was brought up was how much NBA players have evolved beyond just their on-court impact and involvement. As Rivers put it on the podcast, “The biggest change, Woj, is that these players aren’t just basketball players anymore. You know, they have these brands and all this stuff and that affects teams. So as a coach you have to be aware of that.”
The veteran coach is absolutely correct in his assessment of this. To his point, Sixers guard James Harden launched his own wine label this summer. Joel Embiid has been an Under Armour athlete throughout his career and also has deals with Hulu and a few other companies. Tyrese Maxey also recently partnered with Wawa as he continues to adapt to Philadelphia culture.
James Harden is releasing his first signature wine, “J-Harden” in September — with an expected retail value of $16.99, per @ChrisBHaynes.
“I wanted to create a wine that was affordable, but also had some swag to it.”
The point Rivers was attempting to make with this is how basketball is rarely the sole focus of a player anymore. Having their feet dipped in different pools changes the mindset of a player and is something he has seen change during his coaching tenure.
Respect is a Theme
Beyond just brand deals, Rivers also discussed how respect from a player must be earned more than ever. He told a story from his playing days when he was first introduced to Mike Fratello who coached him during his time with the Atlanta Hawks. Rivers says he remembers shooting up to shake his hand the first time he met the coach and that he respected him right away because of his position.
Rivers went on to discuss how this has changed greatly since his playing days. Players in the modern NBA seem to expect coaches to earn their respect rather than it being automatically given. The experienced head coach also reinforced that this is not necessarily a bad thing, just a change he has become aware of.
Doc Rivers tells James Harden that Philadelphia needs him to be more aggressive on offense
“When it clicks James we’re going to be unbeatable”👀
(h/t @AhnFireDigital )
Rivers and Wojnarowski also discussed the impact of social media and how “the outside world” infiltrates the team. He spoke about his first eight seasons in the league when players did not have cell phones and how different the culture was as a result of this. Rather than being made fun of by your teammates when a rough night is had on the court, the opinions of the entire world are now at players’ fingertips.
As the Sixers prepare to kick off the 2022-23 season, there is a great deal of pressure on the Sixers’ coach. Rivers has now been provided the pieces necessary to produce a deeper postseason run and it will be his job to ensure this is the case. The veteran coach spoke on his belief that he maxed out the roster last season, but he now has a number of impactful additions to work with. After two seasons of coming up short in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the pressure on Rivers and the team is certainly growing. The early signs out of preseason have been positive, but the true test of the Sixers will begin against the Celtics on October 18th when the regular season tips off.