As the Philadelphia 76ers‘ season came to an end, the players, along with President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey and Head Coach Nick Nurse, took the stage to address the media. During Morey’s statement to the media, it was revealed that both he and Nurse would remain with the Sixers for the upcoming season.
While the head coach is set to stay, a report from NBA insider Michael Scotto of HoopsHype suggests that changes may be coming to the Sixers coaching staff.
In a piece discussing the future of the New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Denver Nuggets, Scotto wrapped up discussing the latest he’s heard out of Philadelphia.
“While Daryl Morey publicly stated he and coach Nick Nurse are both returning to Philadelphia next season, there’s an expectation that Nurse’s assistant coaching staff will see changes this offseason, league sources told HoopsHype.”
The vagueness of the report leaves room for this change to be initiated by either the Sixers or the members of the coaching staff who may be looking for better opportunities elsewhere. While the Sixers’ season was nothing short of a frustrating disappointment, many on Nurse’s staff are well respected across the league and could find themselves in a position for either a promotion or a more desirable position elsewhere.
Atop the associate coaching staff sits Bobby Jackson, Bryan Gates, and Rico Hines — famous for his legendary NBA Summer runs. All three have the potential to move on this summer if the right call comes knocking.
And now, to purely read tea leaves.
Bryan Gates’ close history with Nick Nurse suggests he will likely remain in Philadelphia. Similarly, Rico Hines has his own history with Nurse, going back to their days in Toronto. Fellow coaches Doug West and Matt Brase have ties to Nurse dating back to their shared days with the Houston Rockets’ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
There is also coach Coby Karl, son of legendary coach George Karl, who has been with the Sixers’ organization since 2021. Joining the organization as the Head Coach of the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, Karl would win the G League championship before moving up to an assistant coach role with the Sixers in September of 2023.
While there are no direct ties to Nurse outside of shared time in Philadelphia, Karl, by all accounts, appears to be valued as a rising name among coaches. Of course, that could also lead to him being poached. Still, there is one coach who has an even more apparent reason to move on, and that is Bobby Jackson.
Could the Sixers lose Bobby Jackson?
Jackson, an elite sixth man with the Sacramento Kings during his playing days, spent time with the Kings’ organization as an assistant coach from 2011-2013. He would return to coach the Stockton Kings from 2021-2023 before coming to Philadelphia. Jackson’s ties to Sacramento run deep, and a potential return is not out of the question.
Sacramento fired its previous Head Coach, Mike Brown, in December after a 13-18 start to the season. Brown was replaced by another fan-favorite former King, Doug Christie, who led the team to a record of 27-24 and secured the ninth position in the West while doing so.
The Kings have yet to fully commit to Christie; that decision will likely be based on how they perform in the NBA play-in tournament Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks. Christie and Jackson’s history runs deep. Of all the teammates Jackson has played with, he played the second most games in his career with Doug Christie, second only to Peja Stojakovic.
Come the offseason, should Christie be given the reigns to the Kings, Jackson could find himself among the top potential candidates to become Christie’s top assistant. Should Christie ultimately get the boot, Jackson would also make sense as a potential replacement for a team that values its history and needs a defensive renaissance.
