Doc Rivers, Isaiah Joe Keep in Contact After Splitting
Isaiah Joe’s time with the Philadelphia 76ers was cut short. After landing in Philly as one of the team’s two second-round picks during the 2020 NBA Draft, Joe spent just two full seasons with the Sixers. By year three, he was on the chopping block during training camp and the preseason.
Joe wasn’t blindsided when he received word that he wouldn’t move forward with the Sixers following a four-game run in the offseason. Talking about his time with the Sixers with reporters following Thursday night’s matchup between the Sixers and the Thunder, Joe mentioned that he had expected changes as the regular season approached.
Despite getting cut loose by the Sixers, Isaiah Joe doesn’t have any bitterness toward the organization. In fact, he confirmed that he keeps in close contact with 76ers head coach Doc Rivers, according to Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire.
“Doc’s always been wanting to be on my side,” Joe said of Rivers. “I know a lot of people probably don’t know that, but he’s always been wanting to be on my side. He actually made some phone calls of his own afterward. He talked me up, gave me words of encouragement, just saying he’ll always be there for me if I ever need him. Definitely a great coach, even better person. My years playing for him were really good, but he even supports me when I’m on the opposite side.”
Since Joe was waived by the Sixers, Doc Rivers has had nothing but positive things to say about the young sharpshooter on numerous occasions. Even leading up to Thursday’s game, Rivers noted that he still keeps tabs on his former player when he can.
“We communicate,” Rivers explained before the game. “That’s what we do, but our talk, which I won’t share, was way deeper than that, I can tell you that. As a coach, and I don’t think a lot of people understand, you end up with a relationship with most of your players, and 98 percent of them are good great relationships. At times, we become advisors for them as well. You try to give them the best advice as possible. That’s what I was doing for Isaiah.”
Being that Joe is still a developing talent, it was tough for the young sharpshooter to crack minutes in Philadelphia’s rotation, considering the timeline they’re on. In Oklahoma City, the Thunder are still working on becoming a playoff-ready roster, which opens up more opportunities for developmental pieces such as Joe to come in and garner playing time in the primary rotation.
Both the Sixers and Joe clearly wanted the connection to work out long-term. The reality is that everything probably worked out for the better in the end.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
