October 06, 2023
The question hadn't even been completed, yet a grin already flashed across De'Anthony Melton's face. He knew the premise and was eager to provide an answer. How will head coach Nick Nurse's aggressive, creative defensive system cater to Melton's strengths?
"I'm so excited just to see what he comes up with, the schemes, just see where his mind is at," Melton said. "Me and Nick Nurse have had several conversations about what I can bring to the table. ... I can't wait to get out there. I think he understands my defensive capabilities and definitely wants to maximize those."
An early theme of Nurse's tenure is the wide-ranging reasons for enthusiasm among his players. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris have praised his offense predicated on ball and player motion. Paul Reed and Danuel House Jr. know their lively, defensive-minded games fit the mold of what Nurse wants to do. Jaden Springer "gained a lot of respect" when Nurse coached him and the Sixers at Summer League and was hands-on the entire time. P.J. Tucker, who briefly played for the Toronto Raptors in 2016-17 when Nurse was an assistant, praised him for employing systems that fit the personnel rather than shoehorning personnel into a rigid system.
Patrick Beverley met Nurse, who was coaching the G League's Iowa Energy at the time, shortly after leaving Arkansas in 2008. Beverley and his mother conducted interviews with an assortment of coaches, including Nurse, trying to discern the proper next step in his basketball career. When Beverley signed with the Rockets a few years later, Nurse coached their G League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, which Beverley suited up for as well. The two, he said, have been trying to reunite for years.
"Our paths cross again," Beverley said. "I'm very fortunate."
Not every Sixer's connection to Nurse is as dated or intimate. But plenty of them do tout some sort of history or admiration for their new head coach, whether it stems from the playbook he's implementing now, one he's previously deployed against them or a vibrant personality uplifting his players. While parsing between training camp truisms and genuine sentiments is challenging, everyone seems optimistic about what Nurse will bring for one reason or another.
During Nurse's five years leading Toronto, Embiid faced off against his Raptors squads 32 times, headlined by a pair of playoff series. He's long discussed the array of strategies Nurse unveiled to try and slow him down. With the two now partnering up in Philadelphia, the reigning MVP used it as an opportunity to pick his coach's brain about all those battles.
"Just been talking to him because I asked him a bunch of those questions, like what was going through your mind when you were coming up with all the schemes?" said Embiid, who's also fond of Nurse's offensive principles. "He kinda gave me the insight of what he was thinking. Just from those conversations, that made me better."
Embiid on Philadelphia’s offensive changes: “The biggest difference? I love it and we all love it. This is the best way to win and I’ve always believed that. I never liked the idea of just being a scorer.” pic.twitter.com/9IIwUuptju
— PHLY Sixers (@PHLY_Sixers) October 5, 2023
House's playing time and role fluctuated in 2022-23. He opened the year as a cog of the rotation, but defensive struggles and inconsistent decision-making offensively saw him relegated before he broke through again in the second round of the playoffs. This year, he believes his athleticism, 3-and-D skill set and open-court scoring complement Nurse's uptempo style.
"I love his energy. I love everything about him. He wants you to play with courage," House said. "He's willing to deal with mistakes and growth because you show growth and hustle. So, those are things that I like, especially with the game of basketball, you got to take some risk at times in that moment in order to get the job done. And he's shown that he's willing to do it."
Over the summer, Nurse, who embraced two-big units at times with the Raptors, said he anticipates Reed will play the 4 in lineups alongside Embiid. Reed called double-big lineups "a great idea" at media day and believes it can alleviate pressure for either center he's playing next to, Embiid or Mo Bamba. In preparing for life as a 4, Reed's worked extensively refining his outside jumper. Nurse has been central to those efforts, spending time in the gym with his rangy big man to focus on ball and hand placement and sharing some drills to help Reed improve his 3-ball.
That affinity for jumbo lineups was a main draw for Bamba to Philadelphia during free agency. The former Texas Longhorn is confident his new head coach wields the creativity to help lineups featuring any duo of him, Reed and Embiid thrive together.
"He's a mastermind in putting out different looks and being creative out there," Bamba said. "It's just gonna be exciting to finally be a part of."
Philadelphia's schematic identity will not be what it was under Doc Rivers. An egalitarian offense and aggressive defense are slated to replace a centralized offense and conservative defense. Those changes may not generate better end results. But for now, the Sixers sound rejuvenated about everything Nurse is instilling, both in his tactics and personality.
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