72 hours after his decision to leave the Los Angeles Clippers, Doc Rivers got a job with the Sixers. He will therefore not have remained unemployed for long, even if he did not rule out the possibility of taking a break.
“I love to coach. I really like it. But I wasn’t going to coach just anyone. I was ready to take a break, it depended on which team was available, and whether the team that was one of my options was ready to win. ” Doc rivers
When the Sixers called, he didn’t hesitate:
“When Elton Brand called me, it was easy to make the decision to get on the plane and sell myself. When you look at these players, these young players and their potential, the fact that they’ve already had tremendous success at their age, and how far I think they can go, it was a job I couldn’t. refuse. That’s what I’m here for. I am really excited. ” Doc rivers
There will be work, because like the Clippers, there are big expectations in Philly given the stars who make up the roster and like the Clippers until then they have multiplied the failures. The first question is of course the association Ben Simmons – Joel Embiid. The two young stars are the faces of the franchise, but there are some doubts about their complementarity.
“They’ve won 65% of the games they’ve played. So it clearly works when they play together. If you look at my teams, I don’t dwell on the guys position. Look at the numbers, when they play together they win 65% of the matches. This is a good thing. I’m looking at how many points we can score. I don’t care how we score. My teams have always been very good offensively, in the top 5. We have Ben who can score, we have Joel, we have Tobias (Harris), we have Shake (Milton), we have Josh (Richardson). This team is bursting with talent. You just have to find a way to make it work the best it can. ” Doc rivers
Of course the subject that always comes up on the table is Ben Simmons’ inability to put it in from afar. In the bubble he showed some progress by trying his luck from afar, especially in the pre-season. There is still a lot of work to do and for many if he does not develop an outside shoot, it will complicate his association with the Cameroonian. Brett Brown was convinced not, and Doc Rivers seems confident.
“I’m not as worried about it as most people. I really am not. I’m concerned about finding the best way to win and if it takes that (for him to put in outside shots) to win then we’ll find a solution. But once again I’m more concerned with the team scoring than the individual scoring. He’s young. And I’m sure there are things we’re going to work on and make sure he progresses and is a better striker. But I can’t tell you how I’m going to do this yet. However I have confidence in the fact that we can make this team win and that he is a winner. ” Doc rivers
Another question is the Al Horford – Joel Embiid association, which also fueled discussions about the Sixers. Can they play together in the 5 major?
“I do not know yet. But at some point they’re going to have to play together, but I can’t say what my 5 major will be on the first day of my new job. It gives me a little more time. ” Doc rivers
One thing is certain, Doc Rivers relies heavily on his pivot.
“Joel is an incredible talent. I coached Kevin Garnett and different guys, DeAndre Jordan, Kendrick Perkins, interiors of very different levels. And in this generation, that level has changed even more since now they shoot at 3-pts and in some cases even lead the attack. I think Joel can do all of these things. I’ve been watching videos of him for the last few days and what I can tell you is, it’s exciting. I remember one game, I think it was 3 years ago in LA, he had a dominant performance. I think he’s a Dominant Big Man and he’ll be a Dominant Big Man for me. ” Doc rivers
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