It's been about one year since Nurse was hired as the Sixers' head coach. His first season included the James Harden saga, Joel Embiid's knee surgery, and a first-round playoff exit.
It's been about one year since Nurse was hired as the Sixers' head coach. His first season included the James Harden saga, Joel Embiid's knee surgery, and a first-round playoff exit.
Since then, Nurse has learned that leading this team is a continuously eventful endeavor. His first 12 months included the, which derailed his hopes to repeat as the NBA’s MVP and shifted the Sixers from contender to play-in team. And a hard-fought first-round series against the New York Knicks but ultimately an early postseason exit.“The season was kind of like that series — it was really difficult,” Nurse said minutes after the Sixers’ season-ending Game 6 loss.
Some of that can be blamed on roster-building. Morey acknowledged during his end-of-season news conference that they are more focused on building a team that complements Embiid, not one that can manage without him, because the former version is the one that has a chance to win the championship.And some of it can be blamed on the fact that Embiid’s injury was far from the only health issue facing the Sixers this season.
The veteran sharpshooter began his Sixers stint as a starter, but moved to a bench role in March for the rest of the regular season. Then when Hield sputtered mightily in his first playoff action, Nurse took him out of the rotation in favor of the more experienced Cameron Payne. Then, Nurse went back to Hield in Game 6, where heThe Sixers did throw a variety of defenders at Brunson and were particularly active while guarding him from behind as the he tried to maneuver in the lane.