It was during the 2024 offseason when the Philadelphia 76ers last looked lethal. Not to demean the team, but the roster genuinely looked unbeatable on paper. But it all went down the drain when the injuries crept in, leaving out Joel Embiid and Paul George for most games. Now that they have returned and regularly made it to the rotation, the Sixers still suffer. Amid this mess, Coach Nick Nurse attracted a lot of heat from the fans.

Last night, the Sixers took on the struggling Pelicans and suffered an embarrassing 115-123 loss. In fact, the team has been struggling since the new year compared to their strong rise in December, recording 10-3. In January, the 76ers have an underwhelming 2-4 record despite having Joel Embiid and Paul George’s inclusion.

Following the loss against the Pels, a reporter rightly pointed out the pattern and asked about the current slump to Coach Nick Nurse. The former Coach of the Year said, “I think this week we had you know two games but I don’t think we played certainly as well as we needed to or certainly as well as we were in December, and again we’re you know a little thin.” While Nurse gave a somber response, a fan online critiqued the coach, saying, “Hard to be motivated to play for a coach who clearly doesn’t want to be here.” 

Moreover, speaking of tonight’s loss, Nurse admitted to the team’s struggle, saying, “We struggled in the mid pick and roll defense … it’s a 5 man job to guard the screen and roll, but a lot of it at the point of attack wasn’t good either.” Amid this blatant admission from the star coach, fans online have ganged up to thrash Nick Nurse. Let’s find out some of the reactions.

Amid Joel Embiid’s inconsistent presence, fans rip apart Nick Nurse

ESPN’s radio host, Michael KB, put out a controversial post on his X taking a direct shot at Coach Nick Nurse following the Pelicans’ loss. The post read, “The #sixers look worse under Nick Nurse than they ever did under Doc Rivers.” Ahead of the 2023-24 season, the team fired Doc Rivers after the playoff failure and roped in Nurse who was then recently fired from the Toronto Raptors. 

Nurse rose to fame when he coached the Raptors that defeated the dynasty Warriors in the 2019 Finals. However, fans refused to buy into his reputation, as they credited the 2019 Finals MVP for his success. A fan wrote, “Nick Nurse should thank Kawhi for getting a good reputation before.” It’s clearly an unreasonable statement, saying that one person carried the Sixers to the glory. Not to forget that Coach Nurse lost against the Cavs in the postseason three years in a row before reaching the Finals in 2019.

While plenty of fans ganged up only to take shots at Nick Nurse, a fan blamed the entire franchise. The fan wrote, “Just fold the franchise. This team hasn’t been a consistent contender for 40 years. No reason to care. Players and ownership don’t.” And adding to it, another fan wrote, “Maybe the blame should be pointed at Morey, who put this team together.”

Unfortunately, both fans have got it wrong. Daryl Morey has always been keen on bringing a stacked roster every season. Think about this season. The Philly side brought in Paul George out of nowhere and paired him up with Joel Embiid. While the injuries hampered their rhythm, the front office did a pretty good job. Before that, they managed to pair Embiid with James Harden. 25 years back; the team made a Finals appearance with Allen Iverson. So, the front office definitely has put in the work regularly.

Finally, a fan supported coach Nick Nurse and blamed it on the injuries, writing, “It’s hard when Embiid never plays.” In a way, it’s completely true. Nurse never really had a consistent roster to do his business this season. Anyway, it’s never too late. From a 15-21 record, can the Sixers bounce back? Let us know in the comments.