Doc Rivers Is Not The Sixers Biggest Problem
Rivers is far from an elite coach, and I’ll be the first to acknowledge that. But it’s only fair to point out that he hasn’t exactly been dealt a great hand so far.
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
No matter the score and no matter the circumstances, I know what to expect after the final buzzer sounds after every Sixers loss: a whole bunch of angry fans arguing that the team needs to fire head coach Doc Rivers.
The Sixers’ roster features three players on max or near-max contracts and several accomplished veterans, yet they still find themselves unsure of whether or not they can seriously compete for a championship.
Whether it’s frustration with the treatment of younger players, the desire for more creativity or even just flat-out disliking Rivers, the fanbase has found no shortage of ammunition with which they can present their case.
It’s become a unanimous sentiment that Rivers is the biggest issue with this team, and that they would see a significant turnaround if the team were to relieve him of his duties. Rob Thomson taking the Phillies to the World Series has poured more gasoline on that fire.
In a young season already filled with significant developments, Rivers’ competence has been the overarching discussion constantly showing its head. Hell, there were five straight Ricky episodes in October and November that centered around Rivers and his poor performance leading this team.
This season is far from over, but being a .500 through a third of the schedule is an obvious disappointment, injuries or not.
But Doc Rivers is not the primary reason that this Sixers season has been disappointing to date. Just as successes are attributed to players, so should failures. Coaches matter in the NBA, but only to an extent. Bad coaches have taken teams deep into the playoffs plenty of times, and a lot of great coaches have grappled with difficult situations.
Rivers is far from an elite coach, and I’ll be the first to acknowledge that. But it’s only fair to point out that he hasn’t exactly been dealt a great hand so far.
He just completed a three-week period in which neither of his starting guards, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, were available. This came after the team’s best player, Joel Embiid, began the year in poor physical shape due to an injury that plagued him for the entire offseason. He has continued to deal with nagging issues all season.
Harden, the team’s primary initiator, has struggled to even sniff the kind of elite efficiency he is known for, posting a 57.3 true shooting percentage so far this year that is respectable, but would be the worst he’s had since his rookie season in 2009-10. He has been good when healthy for the most part, but he hasn’t always been healthy and hasn’t been quite as good as his first few games indicated. Meanwhile, Embiid has had two extended absences and has missed a third of the team’s game at the time of this writing. PJ Tucker, the team’s most notable offseason acquisition, has by far the lowest usage rate in the NBA (6.3 percent) -- more than three percentage points behind the second-to-last name.
When Maxey went down and joined Harden in dress clothes, Rivers turned to Shake Milton, who rewarded his coach with a stellar few weeks of play as the team’s lead guard. And during Harden’s absence, the Sixers buckled down on the defensive end and had the league’s best defense over a period lasting a bit longer than a month.
It’s no surprise that there is a whole lot of nervous energy surrounding a team that is clearly flawed and built around two players whose ability to go deep in the playoffs have been frequently questioned by many in the basketball world. That kind of anxiety combined with Rivers’ lack of popularity makes him far and away the most convenient scapegoat.
Fans of every team get their hopes up every year -- yes, even Sixers fans -- in hopes that all of their dreams will come true. To a great extent, fandom is about manufacturing hope -- even when it may be misinformed or ill-advised.
This is how sports work. When fans get their hopes up and things don’t go well, it’s only natural for them to look for someone to blame. In the NBA, the most prominent decision-maker who fans have consistent access to is the head coach.
And so, regardless of his actual performance, Rivers was likely always headed down this path.
My conclusion here is certainly not to imply that Rivers is the reincarnation of Red Auerbach. His ability has rightfully been questioned by everyone, myself included. But in the NBA, whether you have Phil Jackson or Jim Boylen at the helm, responsibility needs to fall on the players first.
This team has serious issues to deal with, and they are not going to magically disappear the instant Rivers is fired.