Philadelphia 76ers: 5 takeaways from Doc Rivers’ first press conference

The Philadelphia 76ers introduced Doc Rivers on Monday. Here’s what we learned.

On Monday afternoon, the Philadelphia 76ers held a press conference to introduce Doc Rivers as the franchise’s 25th head coach. Seated next to GM Elton Brand, Rivers detailed his excitement for the future and what he hopes to accomplish in the City of Brotherly Love.

Rivers’ career record of 943-681 makes him the 11th winningest coach in NBA history. He won a championship with the Celtics in 2008, and helped put the Clippers on the map in his seven seasons with LA. The Sixers could not have hired a more accomplished individual.

While Rivers is not without flaws, it is reasonable to proceed with some level of excitement. He is not only a good coach, but also a good person. He has been a leading voice in the fight for social justice, and he should resonate with fans and players alike.

In his introductory press conference, Rivers touched on a wide range of topics, from the potential of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, to the role he envisions for Tobias Harris, to the culture in the locker room and around the organization.

Here are five important takeaways from his time at the virtual podium.

5. Load management is an asset

The Sixers have two stars with problematic (recent) injury history in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. When asked about load management, Rivers admitted that he has been on the right side and the wrong side of the load management debate in the past. Now, he’s perfectly willing to admit its importance.

He also noted that load management should be handled on a case-by-case basis, almost certainly in reference to the Sixers’ star duo. Embiid has campaigned against minute restrictions and rest days in the past, but last season the 7-footer came to terms with the importance of rest and preservation.

The Sixers are virtually a shoo-in for the playoffs next season. Even with a roster built for 1990 instead of 2020, Philadelphia has too much talent to miss the postseason. That is, of course, unless significant injuries occur. Making sure the likelihood of significant injuries is decreased via a carefully regimented load management program is essential.

4. Thybulle, Milton earn praise

Rivers spoke at length about his excitement to coach Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris, but the coach’s praise extended beyond just the team’s max contract recipients. Rivers was also quick to praise Philadelphia’s youngsters — most notably Matisse Thybulle and Shake Milton.

Is Thybulle actually an All-Defensive player right now? I’m not sure. While his peak rivals that of the NBA’s top wing defenders, Thybulle does go through stretches of inconsistency on the defensive end. He’s tremendous off the ball, springing into passing lanes and using his 7-foot wingspan to create chaos, but on the ball, Thybulle is much less reliable.

That said, a leap forward is not unheard of in a player’s sophomore season. Thybulle was much better defensively than most rookies, and he is primed to reach All-Defense levels sooner than later. His instincts and activity level are singular. He is a special player.

Before COVID-19 upended the NBA season, Shake Milton dropped 39 points on Rivers’ Clippers in Los Angeles. That is still Milton’s career high, and it clearly stuck with Rivers. While his comment was sarcastic, Milton has all the tools to carve out a significant role in Philadelphia moving forward. He’s the kind of quick-trigger shooter and smart, savvy decision-maker this offense desperately needs.

Someone outside the core will need to step up in order for Philadelphia to compete next season. It’s safe to expect both Thybulle and Milton to have every opportunity to establish themselves as building blocks.

3. Conflict, accountability are natural and necessary

The Sixers’ lack of accountability in the locker room and in the organization at large was perhaps the biggest talking point after Boston swept them out of the playoffs. It’s clear Brett Brown lost his grip on the locker room, and Josh Richardson went as far as to explicitly criticize Brown’s inability to hold players and himself accountable.

The Sixers had a lot of people to blame for last season’s failure, and no one knew how to properly channel and convey that frustration. It’s up to Doc Rivers to strengthen the organization’s culture, and that starts with accountability from top to bottom.

Here’s what Rivers had to say on the topic.

"“You have to hold [stars] accountable because the more accountable they will be with you and toward you, the more accountable you can hold the rest of the team. And I think that’s one of the key things when you’re coaching stars. This misnomer that stars don’t want to be coached, it’s not true. I think stars absolutely want to be coached, they want to be coached, they want to get better. They want to learn as well…they’ve done a lot of winning but we want to be the winner. Winning is great but being the winner is the best, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.” (via Kyle Neubeck, Philly Voice)"

Rivers is going to coach Embiid and Simmons. He’s going to talk to them, and tell them what’s done well and what can be done better. Conversely, Rivers wants the players to hold him accountable. Conversations need to be had, and conflicts need to be resolved. It’s natural for heads to butt and for perspectives to diverge. Successful locker rooms can navigate those tricky waters and emerge stronger than before.

"“There’s no smooth sailings. People assume in 2008 [the Celtics] just, like, glided through. That didn’t happen. Conflict happens, and you deal with it. Whatever it takes is worth it, is the answer, to get through it. You have to get through it. You have to meet it head-on. You have to play your way through it, talk your way through it, and be together through it. I’ve never been afraid of that at all.” (via Rich Hoffman, The Athletic ($))"

Whatever it takes.

2. Not lost in the minutiae

When asked specifically about Ben Simmons’ position and his reluctance to shoot 3s, Rivers’ answer was straight forward. He’s not going to get lost in the “minutiae” — the arbitrary assignment of positions, frankly, does not matter.

Rivers has led some of the NBA’s most prolific offenses over the course of his 20 years in the league. He does not care how the Sixers score, only that they score. He noted that Embiid and Simmons have won 65 percent of their games together. That duo works, no matter how strongly the narrative tells us otherwise.

"“I don’t get lost in what position guys play, I look at how many points we score as a team. I don’t care how we score. My teams have always been very good offensively, in the top five overall, and we score points. We score points in a lot of different ways.”"

This is the correct approach. Simmons does not need to be pigeonholed into a position. Rivers went on to say he wants to Sixers to rank in the top 10 offensively, and that in the absence of shooting, the Sixers will need to create advantages in other areas — movement, speed, creativity.

He is aware Philadelphia cannot continue to run the same system and expect different results, a common criticism of his predecessor Brett Brown. While Rivers’ inability to adjust has been a problem in the past, it’s clear he has a very different vision for how the Sixers will look offensively.

1. Make the most of what he has

Doc Rivers is not rallying for change. He is not asking for trades, nor is he expecting to coach a different roster next season. While PR responsibilities likely factor into the vision Rivers projects to the public, it’s clear he believes the Sixers can win as presently constructed.

"“I think you have to be who you are. I think the mistake a lot of teams have made is everyone wanted to be Golden State, but no one could shoot like Golden State… you have to be the best version of you, and not apologize for that. This team has great size, great athleticism, great multi-positional players. So I think that is new. I think that is the new way. I think what I do like, again from afar, is this team has the ability to morph in three or four different lineups that can create problems for other team’s and that’s something we will definitely do here.”"

The Sixers will look different next season, but Rivers believes in the pieces he has available. He will look for new ways to unlock Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. He will throw Tobias Harris into more pick-and-rolls. He will even try his hand at the Joel Embiid-Al Horford pairing.

Whether it’s through increased tempo, more movement, or a broad restructuring of how the offense operates, Rivers will do his best to maximize the talent he has available. The Sixers are not Golden State. The Sixers are not even the Lakers, who took on a bully-ball persona this season with great success. Rivers will need to unearth the Sixers’ identity, which Brett Brown never truly accomplished.

Am I confident in the Sixers winning with the roster in place? No. But Rivers has built his career on fitting pieces together that, at first glance, don’t seem to fit. And his resume on offense does speak for itself, and is clearly a reason behind Philadelphia’s decision to hire him. Only time will tell if Rivers can deliver.