Getty Head coach Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Philadelphia 76ers are nothing if not a work in progress. The team was mired in injury problems out of the gate, including a Joel Embiid flu bug and a James Harden foot strain. Tyrese Maxey, as a result, has struggled of late but should get comfortable and find his footing with Harden out. And the bench can’t possibly be this bad, right?
That’s the glass-half-full approach. The more pessimistic outlook is much different. Harden and Embiid, though masterful together in the pick-and-roll are both ball-dominant stars that aren’t providing much when the rock isn’t in their hands. Maxey looks lost without Harden and there’s little sign that he can right the ship himself. And yeah, the bench really is this disjointed.
Ask 100 Sixers fans and chances are, 50 will lineup on the sunny side, and the other 50 will take the doom and gloom. But there seems to be one thing most fans are united on: a general vitriol against Doc Rivers. But according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Rivers isn’t to blame for Philadelphia’s slow start.
“Doc isn’t the problem. It’s not his fault that the Embiid and Harden pairing is an odd fit. Nor is it his fault that P.J. Tucker is having a tough start to the season. Yeah, folks complain about his rotations and in-game adjustments. But right now, they’re trying to figure out rotations. But just think of the number of changes that have been made since the season opener. Plus, the Sixers are dealing with injuries and illnesses to key players.”
Rivers Partially to Blame for Hawks Loss
Though Pompey argued Rivers isn’t to blame for Philadelphia’s struggles generally, he did make sure to offer a glaring caveat: Thursday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
“Now, Thursday’s loss was a bad performance by everyone, including Rivers. The rotation police were very critical of his tactics. And they’ll be talking about what transpired late in the game for a while.
“With 4 minutes, 31 seconds remaining and Sixers down 98-91, Rivers took Embiid, Maxey and Tobias Harris out of the game. Four seconds later, he took Georges Niang out thinking the outcome was all but decided.”
The Atlanta showing was just the latest in a string of strange decisions by the Sixers skipper. At least he finally gave Paul Reed a shot in the game. Though I wouldn’t expect Reed’s performance to have sold Rivers: the former DePaul big man was a minus-14 on the game, including going 0-3 from the field.
Pompey isn’t the only one giving Rivers some slack over the Sixers’ slow start.
How Different Could Philadelphia’s Season Truly Be?
According to Mike O’Connor of the Rights to Ricky Sanchez, if a few plays had gone differently, Philadelphia would likely have few issues with Rivers. Or the Sixers more generally.
“Doc Rivers has not been good at accelerating that process so far, but I also don’t believe that he has been some major impediment to their success. If not for Tobias Harris’ brain fart at the end of the Milwaukee game, this team would be 5-3, and I doubt people would be all that dissatisfied. If they move on from Doc, I would expect some slight improvement, but I am also not expecting the world to open up.”
Sure, the Bucks game came down to one play. But the Atlanta Hawks game was long gone before the final possession. And Rivers does deserve some responsibility for that.