Exclusive: Michael Jordan's ex-teammate believes Doc Rivers has failed to deliver adequately to Sixers' fans in absence of their superstars
Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers have struggled so far this season. After using last season to build chemistry with James Harden, the team has set its sights on dominating in the Eastern Conference.
With Harden poised to go back-to-back as a top-three leader in assists, and Joel Embiid eager to have an MVP-caliber season, it seemed like the stars were aligning for the franchise.
Unfortunately, since the start of the season, things have been less than ideal. James Harden suffered an injury that will sideline him for around a month, while Joel Embiid has played in just 12 of the team's 18 games so far.
Although he has been electric in the games he has played, his presence has been sorely missed. With a 9-9 record so far this season, the team sits on ninth place in the East.
The way some see it, head coach Doc Rivers is to blame. It marks the latest chapter in a long and lengthy string of criticism for Rivers, who has come up short of an NBA Championship since his 2008 run with the Boston Celtics.
Speaking to Reggie Roberts on Sportskeeda's exclusive BallFather podcast, Michael Jordan's former teammate Sam Vincent said:
"I would say the work to this point has been very average. I won't go below average because they're still hovering around .500. They're about 9-8 or 9-9 or whatever they are. But I think overall when Harden was in and Joel Embiid was in, those are Superstar, All-Star level NBA players."
He continued, talking about the state of the franchise and the reaction to the mediocre season from fans in Philadelphia:
"So the fans of Philadelphia, they've been expecting a little bit more of Doc Rivers and to this point, I can't say it's happened."
See the full podcast below (Vincent's comments at 9:20):
The future for Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers
Although we're early in the season, Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers have continued to struggle. With some of their best players out, it isn't entirely surprising that the team has been going through a bit of a rough patch.
On top of Joel Embiid currently being out with a left foot injury for at least two games, James Harden is out for the next month.
Tyrese Maxey has also suffered a pretty significant foot injury. Earlier this week, during the team's win over the Bucks, Maxey suffered a fractured foot that will sideline him for three to four weeks. Their injury woes don't end there, Matisse Thybulle is also out with an ankle injury after going down on Tuesday against the Nets.
Fortunately, the team will have plenty of time to get things together before it's too late.
Highlights from the 76ers' recent loss to the Charlotte Hornets: