The Philadelphia 76ers have a long summer ahead. They will be watching the NBA playoffs from home. Nick Nurse’s team struggled with a string of injuries throughout the season.
As such, questions have arisen regarding the current core of Paul George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey. Of course, Nurse himself has also come in for some criticism. While the veteran duo of George and Embiid are certainly worthy of criticism, Nurse’s hands were tied for the majority of the campaign.
After all, it’s tough to compete in the NBA when you’re best players are unavailable, or consistently underperform.
One bright spot this year was the emergence of Quentin Grimes. The former New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks guard shone for the Sixers after joining at the Feb. 6 trade deadline. During a recent media availability, Grimes detailed what it’s like to play for Nurse.
“He’s a really good coach,” Grimes said, via Ky Carlin of SixersWire. “A really good X’s and O’s, really detailed, preparation, and everything. Gets us ready to play every single game. He knows exactly the game plan. Just injuries kind of bogged that down a little bit, not able to play with everybody at full strength, but he’s a really good coach. I mean, he won the championship for a reason. So you can definitely tell he has really good habits as a head coach. Definitely.”
Grimes played in 28 games for the Sixers this season. He averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He shot 55.9% from 2-point range and 37.3% from deep.
Andre Drummond Praised Sixers’ Nick Nurse
Another player who was in his first year under Nurse was Andre Drummond. The veteran big man joined the Sixers during the 2024 offseason. During his own media availability, Drummond shared his thoughts on the championship-winning head coach.
“It was good,” Drummond said. “It was different. I’ve never played for a guy like Nick before who is more laid back and allows his guys to kind of figure it out, but he’s also very intelligent, too. He knows the game very well. Obviously, he’s won a championship, and he’s been very successful in his career. So I think having another year under my belt with him, I think our chemistry together will be a lot better, because he’s never coached me either, so he’s still trying to figure me out.”
Drummond suited up on 40 occasions this season. He averaged 7.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while converting at a 50% clip from the field.
Sixers Want to Keep Guerschon Yabusele
Another player who provided the Sixers with some bright spots this season was Guerschon Yabusele. The former Boston Celtics forward had spent most of his career playing in Europe. However, the Sixers signed him to a one-year veteran minimum deal after he impressed at the Paris Olympics.
Now, with Yabusele’s deal set to expire, it would appear Daryl Morey wants to keep him around long-term.
“We love what Guerschon was able to bring,” Morey said, via Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. “I think that was a great job by our scouting department. A great job by the coaching staff getting the most out of him. Just like Paul (George), he got pressed into some roles that were a little different that he thought. We thought he was gonna play more of the 4 and he’s excelled there. He gave us a lot of minutes at the 5 as well.”
The Sixers will likely retool their supporting cast over the summer. However, keeping Yabusele would be a smart move. After all, Morey must give Nurse the talent a contending team requires, otherwise the veteran head coach will struggle to reach the lofty targets being set for him.
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