Based solely on his ability to win games, Philadelphia 76ers‘ head coach Doc Rivers is one of the best head coaches in NBA history. He’s eclipsed 1,000 wins in his career and currently has the Sixers third place in a stacked Eastern Conference.
He was able to guide this team during one of the more controversial times in franchise history with the holdout of Ben Simmons. Yet, despite all the good that Rivers has done as the head coach of the 76ers, it’s fair to say he’s been far from perfect.
Now the team not only has Joel Embiid who should be the front runner for MVP and they also have former MVP in James Harden. Philly’s championship window is now and one of River’s major flaws could cost the Philadelphia 76ers in the postseason and cost his him job. That flaw is his loyalty to veterans like DeAndre Jordan.
Jordan will cost Rivers his job with the Sixers.
Don’t be mistaken, loyalty to players is important and isn’t by worse Rivers’ worst flaw. Until the acquisition of Harden, Rivers use to run out all bench lineups on a regular basis. He’s also been known to lose 3-1 series leads in the postseason.
However, his loyalty to Jordan could be the proverbial straw that breaks the camels for the front office to decide to move on. It’s been clear for the past two seasons that DeAndre Jordan can’t be a part of a regular rotation. He was phased out of the Brooklyn Nets’ and Los Angeles Lakers’ rotations respectively. Both teams desperately need quality centers on their teams.
He was the type of player who relied on his athleticism and his hustle to be the defensive stopper he was during his prime, but he’s not that player anymore. Besides rebounding and the occasional defensive stop, Jordan doesn’t provide much on the court. If played in a playoff series, he could very well cost Philly a game just like Greg Monroe did a few years ago.
It would be in the club’s best interest if Rivers went with younger players like Paul Reed or rookie Charles Bassey in the rotation. While they haven’t been exposed to big-game situations, they are quite frankly just better than Jordan or veteran Paul Millsap. However, outside of Tyrese Maxey this season, Rivers hasn’t been keen on giving young players regular minutes.
This is Rivers’ decision at the end of the day and clearly his loyalty to veterans is more important to him than putting the Sixers in the best position to win games. That loyalty could very well be the reason that River’s tenure in Philly could be cut short.