It’s official. Doc Rivers is the new coach in Philadelphia. Now that one coaching vacancy has been filled, it’s time to talk about the remaining openings. Both the Clippers and Rockets made the playoffs but decided they need a new leader. Hopefully, Nate McMillan can bounce back somewhere after Indiana decided to part ways as well. However, let’s throw a new name in the running to shake up the NBA, Becky Hammon.
Rivers leaves one underperforming team to coach another. The Sixers’ roster is loaded with talent, but it’s only gotten them early exits from the playoffs. The Sixers are similar to Los Angeles in that both are centered around a superstar duo that doesn’t fit perfectly, but can win a lot of regular-season games.
In the NBA bubble, Philadelphia struggled to hit their stride while in the bubble. It didn’t help that Ben Simmons suffered a knee injury in early August. The Sixers really struggled without Simmons especially when Embiid went to the bench. It’s unfortunate because that seems to be an issue; keeping both superstars healthy at the same time. A new leader, especially one with Rivers’ experience, can give this team a collective identity on the court. If not, it could be time to blow this team up.
Los Angeles Clippers
This is one of the most attractive teams for any coach. You’re walking into a situation with one of the top players in the world, Kawhi Leonard who instantly makes you a contender. Leonard made the Clippers contenders, however, they couldn’t win a fourth game against Denver despite being up three games to one. In the final three games, the team managed to squander a second-half lead every single time.
The Clippers have been a consistently good team for the past decade. However, they have consistently always been behind the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and now the Los Angeles Lakers. This was supposed to be the year that the Clippers were on top of the Western Conference. Given that both Leonard and George have the option to become free agents, this decision is the most impactful.
Houston Rockets
Houston really committed to “small ball” this season. Unfortunately, it didn’t land get them a championship. Now they have a coaching vacancy and a team without a true big man. Do they try to blow it up and get big men? It would be hard to purposely tank with Russell Westbrook and James Harden leading the way, however, there’s no room for this team as it stands to grow. Mike D’Antoni was a perfect coach for Harden
The next coach will have to decide whether to continue with “small ball” and running Houston’s offense through James Harden or making the decision to admit it didn’t work and start with a different looking roster. This could also be attractive to some coaches who want to build a new team around one of the league’s best scorers.
