Nick Nurse Highlights Sixers' 'Feisty Dudes' on Defensive End

Being an NBA head coach since the 2018-2019 season, Nick Nurse has a reputation for preaching hard defensive play. For a Philadelphia 76ers team that’s claimed many times in the past that they want to be one of the league’s top defensive units, they ended up with an ideal match when they replaced Doc Rivers with Nurse after three seasons.

Nothing seems to have changed about Nurse’s philosophy since he switched organizations, moving to the Sixers from the Toronto Raptors. After spending four days in Colorado for a re-located training camp, Nurse is preaching pressure on the defensive end.

“I’m really taking my time trying to build like, ‘Let’s get back, let’s pressure the ball, let’s high hands.’” Nurse explained this week. “We’re just building a lot of the shot-contest, block-out, foundation stuff right now.”

Nurse went on to highlight a handful of guys that have stood out on that end of the floor so far, and nothing really comes as a surprise.

“I think there’s a lot of length on this team,” he continued. “Nobody talked about it when I was in Toronto. There’s a lot of length on this team. There’s a lot of feisty dudes out there. Pat Bev and PJ. Kelly Oubre, Jaden [Springer]. There’s some feistiness, De’Anthony [Melton], Tyrese [Maxey]. Guys that go after the ball a little bit so I still want to build and be that way. I believe in ball pressure, and I believe in being aggressive.”

Patrick Beverley and PJ Tucker have established themselves as some of the notable enforcers in the NBA. While both players have a valuable skillset on the offensive end of the floor, their defensive toughness is what’s kept them around and allows them to continue having critical roles late in their careers.

Then, there’s the younger prospects in De’Anthony Melton, Kelly Oubre, Jaden Springer, and Tyrese Maxey, who have made an impact in the eyes of Nurse. Oubre and Melton are already established at this point of their careers on the defensive end, but Springer and Maxey have a lot to prove this upcoming season.

For Springer, he has just 18 games under his belt across two seasons. Spending most of his time in the NBA G League, Springer has yet to garner a steady role on the Sixers. Perhaps, Nurse is the coach that allows him the opportunity to garner one.

Tyrese Maxey Earns High Praise From Sixers Newcomers

As for Maxey, he’s a player who’s been praised on the offensive side of the ball while receiving plenty of criticism for his defensive struggles. It’s not that Maxey’s necessarily a bad defender, but unfortunately, his size makes it difficult to have a steady impact on that end of the floor. There’s never been a lack of effort from Maxey, so perhaps with a little insight and extra push from Nurse, there’s a chance the young guard sees a boost on defense this year, which would benefit the Sixers tremendously.