Doc Rivers Speaks on Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid Issue

One thing that Brett Brown, Doc Rivers, and Nick Nurse have in common is that they’ve had to navigate some tough times while coaching Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.

When the superstar big man is healthy, all is typically well. However, Embiid has battled through many injuries throughout his career, which has left each of these coaches scrambling for answers at times.

Nick Nurse’s first season as the Sixers’ head coach included 39 games of Joel Embiid.

In his second so far, Embiid has seen the court for just 13 games. We are halfway through the 2024-2025 NBA season.

Sunday night marked the eighth time in a row Embiid missed action. As the Sixers approached their matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, Doc Rivers spoke on Embiid’s recent string of absences.

The former head coach feels for Nurse’s situation.

"You want him to be healthy," Rivers told reporters via Sixers Wire. "I’ve gone through it. It’s hard to win without your best player, or even when your best player plays and he’s not healthy. It’s just hard. I’ve lived that life."

How did the head coach get through it?

"It took a minute," the head coach continued. "First year, we struggled with it. Then, after that, we won a lot of games without him, but it’s still not what you want. We kind of found our pace in the games without him, but it’s just hard, it really is, because we used him so heavily."

Jan 2, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives past Golden State Warriors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images

With Embiid being such a large presence on both ends of the floor, he’s a major part of the team’s gameplan when he’s healthy and on the court.

A second system has to be utilized for the times he’s not around. Rivers had the ability to keep the Sixers somewhat successful during the stints they missed Embiid, winning. Nurse is still working on finding a successful recipe.

Ideally, the Sixers would like to have Embiid back for a long stretch, giving them an opportunity to see their team at full strength. Several setbacks, including knee soreness, a foot sprain, and a sinus fracture, have affected his availability.

The Sixers won’t have Embiid on board for the Tuesday night battle against the Denver Nuggets. The next time he could return is for next Friday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. After losses against the Indiana Pacers and the Bucks this weekend, Nurse’s Sixers have just 15 wins through 41 games.

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