Brett Brown Hopes to See 'Judgment Day' Before 76ers Decide on His Future

Ever since he's been hired to coach the Philadelphia 76ers, Brett Brown's job hasn't been easy. When he joined the team in 2013, the Sixers were entering the interestingly dreadful 'Process' days. At the time, the goal for the 76ers was to lose. The more they lost, the better shot they had at getting the highest draft pick the following offseason.

It seemed that Coach Brown was set up to fail. For a while, he would coach the ever-changing Sixers until they had enough weapons and assets to truly compete for a championship in the NBA. Fortunately for Brown, the Sixers have been in that stage for the last couple of seasons, and the man remains in charge.

The unfortunate part for the veteran head coach, however, is the fact that his time with the Sixers could be running out. After getting bounced out of the playoffs in the second round over the last two seasons, it seemed Brown on his final strike heading into the 2019-2020 season. His goal for this year was to snag the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Right now, the 76ers are placed sixth. 

It also doesn't help that the constant issues over the last couple of seasons remain the same. Joel Embiid's conditioning was still a problem at times. The team's starting point guard, who refused to take a jump shot during his first two seasons, still won't attempt it consistently, despite Brown publicly calling him out for it.

Also, it doesn't help that former Sixers star, Jimmy Butler, has exposed Brown for his lack of teaching in the film room. All in all, it's been an exhausting season for Brett Brown. And at this point, it seems there's only one way he can save his job -- and that's advancing further in playoffs and competing for a championship.

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This year, Brown acknowledges the 2020 NBA Playoffs as his "judgment day." And with the uncertainty of the playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sixers head coach is just hoping to have the opportunity to put together what could be his final case to keeping his position as the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. 

"This thing is so, for me, incomplete," Brown stated via a virtual press conference on Friday. "We need to be able to come back to the table, take the team that we have, the work that we've been putting in, and let that be Judgment Day. Let that environment be, you know, 'you did' or 'you didn't' type stuff. And that's how I approach it."

All season long, Brett Brown and the 76ers' front office claimed they put together a roster that's built to last for the postseason. At this moment, it's unclear if they will have the opportunity to see it all through. If they don't, then Brown's .600 season (his worst since 2016) could be grounds for termination. 

[RELATED: Brett Brown Reveals Ideal Number for Joel Embiid's Playoff Minutes]

If the NBA returns, however, Brown's future will be decided depending on how far the 76ers can go in an altered playoff scenario. The judgment day circumstances are far from ideal, but it's out of the 76ers' control. At this point, none of that matters to Brown. He just wants to complete his process, which is the 2019-2020 season.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_