Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis dunks over Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul Reed during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, in Boston. FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Behind the doors inside Moby Arena, there’s the blare of a DJ spinning tunes. There’s also the frequent sound of a shrill whistle as new Philly coach Nick Nurse halts practice to offer pointers on the free-flowing offense he’s installing.
The vibe remained loose around camp, too, with a DJ brought in to play some music. They also made their way to Boulder to have dinner with and listen to Colorado coach Deion Sanders.In June, Harden picked up his $35.6 million contract option for this season. He was hoping the team would try to trade him. When a deal didn’t happen, he blasted team President Daryl Morey at a promotional event in China and called Morey a liar.
Nurse takes over for Doc Rivers, the former Sixers coach who never led the team past the second round of the playoffs. Nurse has been preaching the little things in training camp — timing, rotation, speed of the feet — in an offense designed to get everyone more involved. He’s adding new defenses, too.
“I want them to swing at a lot of them,” Nurse said of the big men trying to alter shots. “The more they swing, the more they get.” “He’s very laid back. He’s a little bit of Ted Lasso,” Green said of Nurse in reference to the hit television show starring Jason Sudeikis as an ever-optimistic soccer coach. “Has a lot of fun. Outside the box, throws some different things in there. ... He’s very encouraging.”