The Philadelphia 76ers will not exactly be packed with pressure entering the playoffs this time around. Unlike in years past, there are not a lot of external expectations for this squad to win the championship this season. However, their head coach might actually be the one feeling the heat as he steers the wheel for his team.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, there are expected to be around 8 to 12 coaching changes in the coming offseason alone, which is a massive number for a series of coaching turnovers. Obviously, there are lots of teams looking to shift gears, and the 76ers might end up being one of them given the prevailing sentiments about Nurse.
The champion tactician has drawn major flak since last season for his failure to propel the 76ers to consistent wins. While injuries have played a very large part to the effect, a lot of people feel like he has not been able to optimize and maximize the level of raw talent on the roster. Aside from that, his in-game management has likewise been very questionable at times.
Nick Nurse could be on the hot seat with the 76ers this summer
While it is true that not a lot of people have the 76ers seriously pushing for a championship run, the franchise is certainly not resonating with that external belief. This team, after all, is built to win now, and the Eastern Conference is reckoned as a wide open race at present.
If the 76ers flame out right from the get go in the first round of the playoffs without putting up much of a fight, it is all but reasonable to expect that the front office will start seriously pondering about this team's ceiling with Nurse manning the sidelines.
Heck, this team could still actually not qualify for the playoffs. Right now, they are in eight place in the standings, which puts them in the play-in tournament picture. And with just three games remaining, their fate could still vary greatly.
There are a lot of qualified candidates to replace Nurse if he ever gets booted out of the franchise. As such, there is no real reason to entrench him in his current job if he continues to fail to elevate this team's ceiling in the way people thought he could when he succeeded Doc Rivers a few years ago.
Truth be said, the 76ers almost have to overachieve in the playoffs to justify maintaining the status quo. Otherwise, Nick Nurse might have to start packing up his stuff.