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BREAKING: Philadelphia 76ers hire Nick Nurse to replace Doc Rivers as head coach

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Philadelphia 76ers have hired Nick Nurse as their new head coach.

ESPN Sources: Nick Nurse has reached an agreement to become the next coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Nurse — who won an NBA championship and a coach of year award with Toronto — now gets to coach the 2023 MVP Joel Embiid. https://t.co/SrsXhzx7Y3

Nick Nurse, 55, was recently fired from his role with the Toronto Raptors after they failed to make the NBA playoffs this season. During his tenure in Canada, Nurse led the Toronto Raptors to a 227-163 record, giving him a win percentage of 58.2%. The Philadelphia 76ers role became available after Doc Rivers was released following the team's second-round loss to the Boston Celtics.

Now, Nick Nurse will have the opportunity to work with the reigning MVP in, Joel Embiid, as he tries to instill a championship mentality in a Sixers roster that has continually fallen short during their current cycle.

However, it's worth noting that Nick Nurse may not get the opportunity to coach James Harden - a 2018 MVP - as he continues to be linked with a move away from the franchise during the off-season.

During his time in the NBA, Nick Nurse has earned a reputation as an X's and O's innovator, putting schemes such as a 'Box-And-1' on the map. However, with the Toronto Raptors heading towards a rebuild around OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes, a win-now type of coach like Nick Nurse was redundant, leading to his release.


Nick Nurse led the Toronto Raptors to a championship, Philadelphia 76ers hope for the same

In 2019, Nick Nurse helped lead the Toronto Raptors to an NBA Championship, courtesy of an All-NBA-level run from Kawhi Leonard. During that run, Nick Nurse became regarded as one of the best coaches in the NBA, as he displayed a mastery of rotations, schematics, and game management.

As such, Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey likely viewed Nurse as the ideal candidate to try and maximize Joel Embiid's prime years, entrusting the well-traveled coach with elevating the Sixers' style of play and winning mentality.

Nurse has had previous stops in the United Kingdom and the NBA G-League before getting his chance to coach at the highest level with the Raptors.

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