On Monday, the 76ers fired head coach Brett Brown after seven seasons with the team. Brett Brown was expected to get fired after the Sixers were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs. After Brown was let go, discussions immediately started surrounding who the Sixers would choose as his replacement.
As expected, Villanova head coach Jay Wright was thrown into talks to replace Brett Brown. Wright has won two NCAA National Championships coaching Villanova. The main question is, would Jay Wright really want to take the job? Would he want to leave Villanova, and make the leap from college to the NBA? That is what is uncertain.
Jay Wright is considered one of the best coaches in college basketball, and there has been speculation for some time if he would ever take a coaching job in the NBA. College coaches making the leap to the NBA have become more popular due to the success of Celtics head coach Brad Stevens.
Whoever is hired as the Sixers’ next head coach will have lots of pressure to turn things around for the 76ers. They will need to work with Ben Simmons on shooting three-pointers consistently and making him shoot. Many people blame Brett Brown for Ben Simmons’s lack of 3 point shots. There is also work to be done with Joel Embiid surrounding what he needs to do for the Sixers to have playoff success. Some sacrifices Embiid may have to make is giving up outside shots from the three-point line, and primarily playing in the post. There is also much speculation as to whether Joel Embiid has the endurance to play high-level basketball on both sides of the game through the playoffs.
Besides Joel and Ben, there are many other roster moves that need to be taken care of, before the Sixers are true contenders. The new coach will have to solve a lot of these playing issues and make adjustments for the team.
Of the early head coach contenders for the Sixers, I feel Jay Wright would be the best man for the job. He has been in the city for years, and understands the sports media in Philadelphia. He is also proven to be a great college basketball coach, and I feel he could be the man who coaches the Sixers into being true championship contenders.
Philadelphia Sports Chronicle 