Brett Brown is officially out as Head Coach of the Sixers. While there should still be plenty more change in the front office, it’s time to look at candidates to replace Brett Brown.
Back in March we looked at five options to replace Brett Brown, a lot has changed since then but one thing that hasn’t is the Sixers’ need for a Head Coach.
Knowing what we know now it’s time to reevaluate those options and try to find the Sixers’ next Head Coach.
The Absolutely Nots
The following names should not be considered for the position of Head Coach with the Philadelphia 76ers:
Jason Kidd
Lionel Hollins
David Fizdale
Ime Udoka
Ty Lue
Obligatory Jay Wright Post 2.0
Look in any direction and you’ll find Sixer’s fans who want Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright to succeed Brett Brown. This has gone on for years and no matter who the Sixers hire, it will continue to be a conversation.
Wright has done a tremendous job with the Villanova Wildcats. He’s led the team two National Championships and developed young players who are key contributors to NBA teams. Young players like Kyle Lowry, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Eric Paschall. Jay Wright’s NOVA career is exactly why he will not coach the 76ers.
Why would Jay Wright leave? He’s thriving with NOVA and the Sixers are in the midst of front office turmoil. There’s no reason to put himself through that. Coach Wright may come to the NBA someday but it’s not to coach the 2021 Philadelphia 76ers.
Sixers’ Honorable Mentions
Stephen Silas
Stephen Silas is one of many young candidates that will be talked about for years. He has coached under Legendary Head Coach Don Nelson along with many other notable Head Coaches and his time will come.
Silas has been credited for being a part of the development of players such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kemba Walker. He has a total of 14 years of coaching experience in the NBA and 16 years of total NBA experience.
The area where Silas is lacking is as an NBA Head Coach. His only experience came with Charlotte Hornets during the 2017-18 season. Silas filled in for then Head Coach Steve Clifford who was ill. Silas coached 21 games in Clifford’s absence and led a poor Hornets roster to a 9-12 record in that time.
Marc Jackson
One of the most popular names when talking about Brett Brown replacements, Marc Jackson is a big name that would bring a lot of flash. That’s all well and good but is he really the best person for the job?
Jackson is credited for helping to assemble the blueprint for the 2014-2019 Golden State Warriors. There is a reason though why the Warriors moved on from Jackson.
According to Warriors’ owner Joe Lacob, Jackson was not beloved by the organization. Here’s a quote from Lacob about Jackson:
“Part of it was that he couldn’t get along with anybody else in the organization,” Lacob said. “And look, he did a great job, and I’ll always compliment him in many respects, but you can’t have 200 people in the organization not like you.”
While the Sixers don’t need a buddy-buddy coach like Brett Brown was, this is too far the other way.
Avery Johnson
Avery Johnson has Head Coaching experience in the NBA. He has also been named Coach of the Year. And yet Avery Johnson is a mere honorable mention.
After his first three seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, Johnson’s Head Coaching career has been less than impressive.
In his next four years in the NBA, Johnson made the playoffs once and had a winning percentage of 43%.
After parting ways with the Nets, Johnson found himself as the Head Coach of the University of Alabama. He coached his way to a winning percentage of 54.7% but only made the NCAA tournament once.
He has some intrigue to him but nothing to proclaim him a top candidate.
Our top-5 ranking is listed on the page below.
