“It’s Hard to Become a Great Team When…”: Kevin Durant Highlights the Biggest Cause of Problems for Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers’ are on the brink of making some tough decisions. After serving as head coach for seven seasons for the Sixers, Brett Brown was let go this season. This came just a day after they were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

What Elton Brand, their general manager, will be looking for is someone who can maximize the potential everyone believes the team holds.

However, there is one player that has some interesting insights into the team’s bad luck. After recovering from a year-long injury, Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets will be a part of NBA again next season. And it looks like he already has an idea about what is it that is holding his contenders back.

In the past couple of years, the Sixers acquired a lot of young talent. Unfortunately, this also proved to be a setback for the team. Continuously bringing in new players and moving ahead deprived them of building chemistry within the team.

In ‘The Old Man and the Tree Podcast’, Durant explained what made it so tough for key players like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons to stand up to expectations. “It’s hard to become a great team when you’re getting new teammates every year,” Durant said. “It’s tough, especially young players like them, they’re expected [to shine] … and in Philly, they’ve got so many expectations on them, it’s tough.”

Philly may have tried to pluck out the best players for themselves, but it’s also just not about getting talent. It’s also about utilizing them in the best way and by building chemistry within the team.

Can Mike D’Antoni be a potential head coach target for Philadelphia 76ers?

Entering into the offseason, the Sixers will be looking to juice the best out of its players. Thus, the first step in the right direction will be choosing the right coach. While there may be many probable choices, there is one that is starting to pop up.

After losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, Mike D’Antoni declared his leave as the Houston Rockets‘ head coach.

With his expertise in the offensive front, this is what Philly really needs. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN  revealed that Mike D’Antoni is one of the potential candidates for the job. He posted, “D’Antoni was an assistant for several months under Brett Brown before accepting the Rockets job four years ago.” 

What exactly the future holds for the Sixers is uncertain. Nevertheless, we can only hope they figure out the best way to battle for the Championship. Else they’ll remain stuck watching some other team taking it home every time.