It’s the dawn of a new era for the Philadelphia 76ers. They will no longer be held hostage by Doc Rivers, and Nick Nurse might as well be the breath of fresh air they need to pursue an NBA championship.
Nurse was one of the main guys and best coaches available out there right now, and they had to face some steep competition to land him. But he was also eager to arrive at the City of Brotherly Love.
According to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Nurse actually chose the Sixers over Kevin Durant’s Phoenix Suns because he wanted to coach reigning MVP Joel Embiid.
Nick Nurse Wanted To Coach Joel Embiid
“The Sixers and Phoenix Suns were engaged with Nurse and his agent, Andy Miller of Klutch Sports, throughout Sunday and Monday, leaving Nurse with a difficult decision between two contending teams, sources said,“ Wojnarowski reported.
“Nurse’s desire to coach MVP Joel Embiid and his history with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey played a significant part in his decision to commit to a deal with Philadelphia, sources said. Nurse separated himself in the interview process, selling a vision for the Sixers centered on Embiid,” Woj continued.
“Embiid will be the first player to win the MVP and start the next season on the same team with a new coach since the Lakers’ Magic Johnson in 1990-91,” concluded the report.
It’s not every day that a coach chooses you over Kevin Durant, so Embiid should be quite excited about everything Nurse might be planning for him. Hopefully, he’ll manage to stay healthy and live up to those expectations.
It’s been quite a while since the Sixers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, let alone the NBA Finals, and the narrative around Embiid has drastically shifted after a subpar postseason run.
