New coach Rivers focused on ‘what it takes to win’
Doc Rivers was typically impressive during Monday afternoon’s Zoom call to introduce him as coach of the 76ers.
That’s no surprise for a charismatic 20-year coach boasting an NBA championship with the 2007-08 Celtics, as well as a 943-681 career record with the Magic, Celtics and Clippers and a 91-89 playoff mark.
Three days after parting ways with the Clippers, Rivers agreed to become the 25th coach in franchise history. He said he thought about taking a year off, but the Sixers’ roster helped convince him to take the job.
“I love the pieces here,” Rivers said. “I can’t wait to get to work.”
General manager Elton Brand, who led the coaching search, gushed about Rivers.
“Doc stood out in all categories,” said Brand, who introduced Rivers but was unavailable for questions. “I believe Doc can help us unlock our potential, on and off the court. … Doc is a great fit for our franchise and our city.”
Here are five takeaways from Monday:
The Embiid/ Simmons factor
The 58-year-old Rivers was prepared when asked how he’s going to get the most out of all-stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, who earned firstteam all-defensive honors last season, as well as if Simmons would play point guard, point forward or power forward for him.
“They’ve won 65% of their games together,” Rivers said. “When they play together, it works … If you watch my teams, I don’t get lost in what positions guys play.”
Rivers also insisted he’s not worried about Simmons’ past unwillingness to shoot 15-foot jumpers or 3-pointers.
“I’m concerned with what it takes to win,” he said. “If that’s what it takes, we’ll figure it out. … Ben has proven he is a guy that can create scoring.”
Along the same lines, Philadelphia is big and athletic, so his task is to maximize those Sixers’ strengths and not try to make themselves something they are not.
“You have to be the best version of you and not apologize for that,” Rivers said. “The mistake a lot of teams have made is everybody wanted to be Golden State, but nobody can shoot like [that].”
It’s all in the stars
Coaching star players with the Magic, Celtics and Clippers will help prepare Rivers for working with Embiid and Simmons, who have yet to get beyond the second round of the playoffs.
One thing he’s learned is that elite talent is sometimes tagged with an unfair rap.
“Stars actually really want to be coached,” he said. “They want to get better.”
But his previous coaching stops also taught him that no two stars are the same.
“Every single one of them are different,” Rivers said. “They do have several traits that are similar — work ethic is one.”
Accountability is essential
Rivers is big on the players being held accountable.
“It’s a big word,” he said. “If you don’t do it, you’re not going to win.”
Embiid and Simmons will need to be accountable “because the more accountable they will be with you and towards you, the more accountable you can hold the rest of the team.”
Reality check
Rivers understands there will be some rocky moments during the course of an 82-game season. To believe otherwise just isn’t realistic. What matters is how they are handled and what comes out of them.
“There’s no smooth sailing,” said Rivers, who had a 12-year NBA career as a combo guard. “People assume in 2008 we just glided through [on the way to the title ]— that didn’ t happen. Conflict happens and you deal with it. Whatever it takes, it’s worth it.
Part of the territory
Rivers dealt with load management in Los Angeles, as the sports science folks recommended giving stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George sporadic games off in order to increase the chances they’d be less worn down by playoff time — just as occasionally has been done with Embiid here.
It comes with the territory these days, though that wasn’t always the case.
“Have you seen me walk?” said a smiling Rivers. “I walk that way because when I played there was no load management.”