Doc Rivers has Sixers playing to their strengths

The early returns on Doc Rivers as Sixers head coach are overwhelmingly positive.

The Philadelphia 76ers have started the 2020-21 season on a tear, jumping out to first place in the Eastern Conference at 12-5. COVID has made it difficult to get a proper reading on the league as a whole, but the Sixers seem firmly entrenched in contention — even if toppling the Bucks and Nets of the world feels out of reach.

The Sixers have thrived in a number of areas this season. The defense looks sharper (on most nights), and the personnel moves made by Daryl Morey have had a universally positive impact. Most plainly, however, is the offensive improvement. The Sixers look much crisper on that side of the ball, partially due to personnel, and partially due to the impact of Doc Rivers.

Rivers is not a perfect coach. His substitution patterns are constantly confounding, and his treatment of a certain 6-foot-10 point guard has left room for doubt. On the whole, however, Rivers deserves immense credit for setting his players up for success. Rivers has proven time and time again he will let guys play to their strengths.

More from Sixers News

• 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
• 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
• 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
• Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
• Breaking Down Bombshell Report on Sixers Star James Harden

The prime example of Rivers’ coaching prowess has been Joel Embiid, who is putting together the best season of his career. He’s in the MVP discussion, and while that’s largely due to individual improvement, Rivers has been unafraid to let Embiid explore the outer limits of his skill set. The 7-footer has been more involved in the late-game offense than ever before, and with great success. He’s not only dominating the post, but operating as a playmaker from the top of the key and shredding defenses from mid-range.

Another example would be Shake Milton, the sixth man who has taken yet another step forward with his performance this season. From the very beginning, Rivers has preached aggression and freedom with Milton — letting him play his game. Milton’s playing time in recent games has fluctuated, probably due to poor defense, but the 24-year-old’s performance has been largely impressive to date.

Rivers has a long history of successful sixth men. Some of that is his rotational strategy: the second unit will spend long stretches together, with Milton solely in charge of running the offense. Rather than spend time in the shadow of Embiid or Simmons, Milton is — with relative consistency — given his share of opportunities to create from scratch and set up teammates.

That said, the crowning jewel of Rivers’ coaching crown so far is Tobias Harris. Before his arrival in Philadelphia, the best basketball of Harris’ career came under Rivers in Los Angeles. When the future Hall of Fame coach arrived in Philadelphia, many were quick to discredit the idea that Rivers would unlock another level in Harris. Now, Harris is once again playing career-defining basketball with elite efficiency.

Harris is shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from deep. Those numbers may dip eventually, but he’s not far from his numbers with LA in 2018-19. It’s clear Rivers understands how to convey Harris’ value to him — how to get Harris to maximize his strengths without overextending his skill set.

Under Brett Brown, Harris was too often asked to create in isolation despite unfavorable matchups. That was partially due to roster construction, but it never felt as if Brown fully understood where Harris’ strengths lied. Rather than heavy doses of isolation, Harris has spent this season launching quick-trigger 3s, making snappy swing passes, and making calculated dives to the rim.

Elsewhere on the roster, we are also experiencing the best season of Seth Curry’s career, as well as another solid post-prime year from Dwight Howard. Rivers has also done a fair job of empowering Tyrese Maxey, who is still growing into his shoes as a go-to scorer and playmaker in the NBA.

Again, Ben Simmons is a notable exception here. Not only has Simmons struggled, but Rivers has virtually refused to hold Ben accountable in the media. While Simmons should be able to hold himself accountable, at some point it becomes clear that Brown’s method of not-so-subtly nudging Simmons might have been the correct route.

Rivers is not a perfect coach, and he’s not going to give the Sixers a strategic advantage over the likes of Erik Spoelstra and Nick Nurse. That said, he does understand how to leverage his players offensively, and the Sixers are off to a flying start because of it. He deserves immense credit.