The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the stronger coaching staffs in the league. Led by coach Doc Rivers, they have big names such as Sam Cassell and Dan Burke they can lean on.
Burke, especially, is a guy who has one job for Rivers and that is to focus on the team’s defensive performance. Rivers brought Burke in from the Indiana Pacers to be the team’s defensive coordinator, and he helped guide the Sixers to the No. 2 defensive rating in the NBA in the 2020-21 season.
“Dan and I come from the same person in Dick Harter,” Rivers stated. “He was my coach with the Knicks. That’s why I’ve always styled my defense after that. So it was an easy fit for us and you trust him. You know he’s going to do the work. That’s what makes Dan so well. No one’s gonna watch more games or more preparation than him. It’s a nice guy to have on your staff.”
Rivers got the idea to hire something of a defensive coordinator for his staff from being around New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. That led him to hire Tom Thibodeau during his days with the Boston Celtics. Burke filling the role in Philadelphia is something that makes Rivers happy.
“I think it’s huge,” said Rivers. “I’m probably one of the first to start doing it. I just traveled in the football systems with three or four different head coaches, Belichick being one and I just kept noticing that they focused on the one side of the team and they gave one side to someone else. I didn’t know if we could do it in basketball and I tried it one year, I liked it, and in the following year, I think I hired Thibs and it just allows you to sit with him and you tell him what your philosophies are defensively, you see if it matches.”
The Sixers are not quite the same on the defensive end to begin the 2021-22 season, but that’s what happens when a team is missing Joel Embiid and Matisse Thybulle, two of the top defenders in the league. It does not change the fact Burke has had a positive impact on this team.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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