Doc Rivers: Superstar Whisperer?
In announcing Doc Rivers as the new head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers the franchise have made their intentions clear to keep the star pairing of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid together and hope Rivers can unlock their potential.
Doc’s reputation for getting the best out of star players clearly precedes him, as evidenced by his hiring a mere three days after leaving his previous post as coach of the Clippers.
When looking back at Rivers’ history coaching All-Stars in Orlando, Boston, and Los Angeles the question remains, is Doc Rivers really a superstar whisperer?
Orlando
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In the summer prior to Doc’s second season as head coach of the Orlando Magic the team acquired a 5 time All-NBA selection in Grant Hill and a fast-rising young star in Tracy McGrady. Unfortunately Rivers hardly got a chance to work with Hill as the former Rookie Of The Year never managed more than 29 games in a season under Doc.
McGrady began to realise his potential in Orlando, earning Most Improved Player honours in his first season with Rivers and going on to make All-Star and All-NBA teams in every season the two spent together including two All-NBA first-team nods.
Team success eluded the Magic however with their best playoff performance coming in 2003 when after leading the Pistons 3-1 in the series the team went on to lose the next three games by double-figure margins.
Doc lost his job the following season and while there were rumblings that McGrady was involved in the decision, it was more likely due to the team’s 1-10 start.
Hill could never stay on the court and McGrady never had a supporting cast but it would be difficult to label Doc Rivers’ time in Orlando a success.
Boston
It must not be understated the job Rivers did leading the Celtics super team to a championship in their first season together especially considering the failures of other super teams in their first year together like the Lakers in 2004, Heat in 2011 and Clippers in 2020.
The team added another NBA Finals appearance in 2010 and Celtics players from that era appear to still have love for Doc almost a decade later.
L.A Clippers
Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/ Getty Images
In 2013 Rivers took over a team that already boasted two All-NBA players from the previous season in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. The Clippers made two conference semifinals in the trio’s time together including another series loss from a 3-1 lead for Rivers. After two straight first-round playoff exits both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were traded away amid rumours of locker room unrest.
This past season the Clippers, with Doc still at the helm as head coach, brought in an All-NBA player from last season in Paul George and the reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. Yet again a Doc Rivers coached team gave up a 3-1 series lead, this time in the conference semifinals to a lower-seeded Denver Nuggets squad. In the week that followed the end of the Clippers season, team owner Steve Balmer reportedly met with several players and following those meetings Doc was removed as head coach.
Doc Rivers has an extensive history coaching superstars to mixed results.
If he can create the kind of culture he had in Boston and figure out how to unlock the seemingly unlimited potential of his two new stars then the Sixers could go a long way, but his reputation as the “superstar whisperer” is by no means a guarantee of team success.
Featured Image: Getty Images
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Categorized:Sixers