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The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to meet with former Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse this week, according to Sixers insider Keith Pompey.
The Sixers are currently in search of a new head coach after parting ways with Doc Rivers following their disappointing loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, squandering a 3-2 series lead.
Nurse, who was relieved of his duties by the Raptors last month after their play-in tournament defeat to the Chicago Bulls, has had a successful tenure in Toronto. Despite the Raptors finishing the 2020-2021 season with a 41-41 record, placing ninth in the Eastern Conference, Nurse's coaching accomplishments are noteworthy.
During his five seasons as the Raptors' head coach, Nurse guided the team to the NBA championship in 2019 and was awarded the NBA Coach of the Year in 2020. He has been widely recognized as one of the most innovative coaches in the league, which could bring valuable expertise to a Sixers team that has faced criticism for their lack of playoff adjustments in recent years.
In total, Nurse has a 227-163 (.582) coaching record over five seasons.
Adrian Wojnarowski on Nick Nurse's coaching future
The Philadelphia 76ers may be facing some stiff competition in their pursuit of Nick Nurse. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Nurse is also a top coaching candidate for two other teams with title aspirations:
“You know, Nick Nurse, you look at the three big jobs out there right now: Milwaukee, Phoenix, Philadelphia,” Wojnarowski said.
“Monty Williams is only a candidate for two of them, Mike Budenholzer is only a candidate for two of them. But Nick Nurse is a candidate in all three places, and you’re gonna see him now start to activate, I think with both front offices and ownership, to see where that fit might be.
“Milwaukee’s search has been going on for a while. They’ve met with probably at least a dozen candidates, but I think there’s an expectation now (that) Nurse will go in, talk with the front office and do something more formal with ownership, and then Phoenix and Philadelphia.”
Wojnarowski then spoke about Nurse’s coaching accolades and why teams are so interested in him:
“But 2019 championship, 2020 Coach of the Year. I think what teams see; they see a lot of offensive innovation with him,” Wojnarowski said.
“He got a lot of that as a G League coach, an international coach, got a lot of that as a head coach in the NBA. But I think among this pack of coaches, I think the one that you can be pretty confident with, that’s going to get at least one offer in this process, is Nick Nurse.”
