Ranking the 3 best options for 76ers coaching vacancy

The Philadelphia 76ers have a lot of tricky personnel decisions to navigate this summer — including who will become the team’s next head coach. Here are the best options. 

James Harden was likely the driving force behind Doc Rivers’ exodus from the Philadelphia 76ers following the team’s early playoffs exit. It has now also been reported that James Harden is expected to sign with the Houston Rockets.

The correlation between these presumed facts leaves the Sixers in a difficult position. On one hand, it was probably time to fire Rivers and find a new voice. On the other hand, Rivers did have the support of Joel Embiid. Will the next coach have the support of Embiid? If the idea was to placate Harden, that now feels hollow.

Luckily for the Sixers fanbase, there are plenty of quality options populating the market right now — a couple of whom have actually shared time with Embiid on the Sixers’ sideline over the years. As for determining which options are the best, there should be one priority in mind above all else: which coach can unlock Embiid’s full potential on offense when the playoffs arrive?

Best head coach options for Philadelphia 76ers to replace Doc Rivers

3. Mike Budenholzer

Mike Budenholzer has earned his share of criticism over the years, but the Bucks’ decision to fire him after Milwaukee’s first-round exit came as a mild surprise — even on the heels of such a sudden, shocking, disappointing end to the season. Bud has been pretty much a perennial 50-win coach since his days with the Atlanta Hawks. Few coaches can claim a more consistent regular season track record, and that’s half the battle for any contender.

Of course, the Sixers aren’t in this quagmire because the team couldn’t win enough regular season games. Doc Rivers, too, was a good regular season coach. The issue is winning more games in the postseason, and that’s where a lot of the question marks with Budenholzer come into play.

Here are the simple facts: one, Budenholzer won the NBA championship in 2021. He reached the mountaintop. You can doubt his ability to reach it again, and fairly, but he has a much stronger track record of recent postseason success than Doc Rivers did. Budenholzer is one of the smartest defensive minds in the NBA, but he’s also the coach who unlocked Giannis as an MVP-level offensive force. Embiid is already an MVP-level offensive force, but he hasn’t been one in the playoffs yet. Perhaps Budenholzer can offer a fresh perspective and help get Embiid over the hump when it matters most.