It has been far from smooth sailing for Doc Rivers as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Don’t say he wasn’t warned.
Rivers’ stint with the Sixers, which thus far has lasted two seasons, has featured no shortage of controversy – from star players wanting out to key role players not getting vaccinated.
But, interestingly, the biggest thing players harped on after their season ended at the hands of the Miami Heat was their maturity, or lack thereof. Philly’s core, which lately has featured Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and a rotating third star, has plenty of experience. However, there’s a clear belief around the organization that the players need to grow more to get the Sixers to where they should be.
As Danny Green addressed that on his podcast “Inside the Green Room”, Green admitted that he warned – and now reminds – Rivers that change was needed.
“It’s tough. I tell Doc all the time he has his work cut out for him, even before he got here,” Green said. “There are a lot of things that need to be changed, and that was the level of maturity. And a lot of it is on the veterans and the coaching staff, but it’s hard to change all of that – that inexperience, that mental toughness, that maturity – within two years.
“But a lot has gotten better since then. Joel is mature, he’s gotten better, a lot of guys have gotten better and understand. But to build those habits, it takes time. To make that atmosphere, to build that mindset, that mentality, it takes time. I think this year helped us a lot, going through all that drama we went through with the trades and stuff like that and COVID, it’ll make them a lot more mentally tougher for next year.”
Green is a free agent this offseason, and will miss the start of next season as he rehabs a torn ACL and LCL. Whether he’ll be around Philly to see if the Sixers can grow any more next season remains to be seen.
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