A couple of weeks removed from their playoff elimination and the subsequent ouster of Daryl Morey, the Philadelphia 76ers remain without a firm candidate for the position the longtime executive was forced to vacate. Be that as it may, unbeknownst to many, it appears that the team actually has an internal candidate for the post.
Jameer Nelson, a former NBA veteran and the current assistant general manager for the 76ers, seems to be in the mix for the lead executive position. As bared by Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto, league sources say that Nelson has positioned himself well to stay put in the organization, and a promotion is in play for him.
Bob Myers, who is spearheading the search for the team’s next president of basketball ops, seems to be taking his sweet time on the hunt. After all, the post Morey was cut from is no easy task, and given the lofty expectations set on the franchise, rushing through this decision will definitely do them no good. However, if Nelson is a possible candidate, that makes things a tad easier.
The 76ers get a surprise candidate for team president in Jameer Nelson
Right now, only the Phoenix Suns (with James Jones) have a former NBA veteran installed as team president, so there is not really a lot of pragmatic data about how former players fare as lead executives. However, there are certain advantages with hiring from the inside. There is some sense of continuity and familiarity across the board, and the rough patches attendant with drastic turnarounds are not as prominent as they usually turn out to be.
That being said, there are also some downsides to in-house hiring. The 76ers seem intent on getting away from the modus operandi employed by Morey and his cohorts, so someone like Nelson, who worked under him, might still have some remnants of his way of doing things.
Still, Nelson is well-acquainted with numerous people around the league as a former player and a highluy respected veteran. Furthermore, he has played for six different franchises as a cager before joining the 76ers organization back in 2020, so his connections should be ample enough for the job.
The offseason is already looming, and the Philadelphia 76ers will soon be on deck for some tough questions and decisions. As such, installing and getting acclimated to a new lead decision-maker will be critical, so they will have to act with more urgency in filling the position. And with Jameer Nelson, they will not have to look far for a new person up top.
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