Despite another disappointing playoff run on his resume, in some ways, this was a career year for Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers. He’s eclipsed the 1000 career wins mark and is currently sitting with 1043 wins which is ninth all-time among NBA head coaches.
Now that Rivers is in elite territory among his coaching peers and it’s the offseason, it feels appropriate to rank the 10 best players that have played for him during his career as a head coach. It should be noted these players are ranked on their total career and not on their time under Rivers as a player. With that being written, let’s become.
10. Top-10 players to play for Rivers: Blake Griffin
Black Griffin comes in at number 10 on this list. He played for Rivers from 2013-18 as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. Griffin has six career All-Star appearances with two being under Rivers. During his prime, Griffin was one of the most athletic and best power forwards in the NBA. However, injuries stole that from him. He has career averages of 19.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists.
9. Top-10 players to play for Rivers: Paul George
Rivers’ time coaching Paul George was brief. It was Rivers’ last season with the Clippers that George arrived for the 2019-20 season. Despite a horrific injury early on in his career, George has been one of the top two-way players in the NBA for the majority of his career. This past year, he averaged 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.2 steals.