Joel Embiid Looks Forward to Brett Brown’s Return

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to return to the court on Saturday night. After taking a trip up to Boston to face the Celtics on Tuesday and hosting the Milwaukee Bucks for their home opener on Thursday night, the Sixers will welcome the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.

While the matchup itself doesn’t carry much weight, considering it’s an East versus West game between two teams that are headed in a different direction — the Sixers are looking forward to having a familiar face return to the Wells Fargo Center for the first time in years.

It’s been three years since Brett Brown coached the 76ers. During the 2019-2020 season, Brown was in his seventh season with the Sixers, hoping to get them beyond the second round of the playoffs after they fell short in the Eastern Conference Semifinals for two consecutive years.

After the Sixers were swept in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs by the Boston Celtics, Brown’s days as the Sixers’ head coach were finished. That final game in the Orlando bubble during the Summer of 2020 would be the last time Brown would lead a team.

For the couple of seasons, Brown has been away from the game. This year, he took on a job as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, reuniting with future Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich.

When the Spurs face the Sixers on Saturday, Brown will show face for the first time, reminding many he was one of the few faces from the “Process” era that stuck around while the team transitioned into its playoff-competitive phase.

Sixers star Joel Embiid hopes Brown gets the reception he rightfully deserves, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey.

“He meant a lot,” Embiid said. “Obviously, he started the whole thing, and things didn’t work out the way they should have. But he did a great job, and he’s one of the reasons why we’re in this position.

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So I’m going to be excited to have him back and really have him back in the building.”

The Sixers were the first NBA team to give Brown a shot at being a head coach. For right now, they are still the last.

Over seven seasons, Brown coached 565 regular season games. While his 221-344 record looks underwhelming on paper, many understand that Brown steered the ship when the Sixers were in their tank phase.

The organization allowed him to continue running the show for three playoff runs. From 2017 to 2020, Brown held a winning record of 146-91. In the postseason, Brown’s playoff record was 12-14, winning two first-round series in 2018 and 2019.

One day, Brown might earn the chance to run his own team once again and continue building what he started with the Sixers back in 2013. But for now, the former head coach is focused on helping Popovich coach up a young and inexperienced Spurs team.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.