[Saba Sports News] At a recent training camp session, 76ers forward Danuel House discussed the changes in the team’s offensive system. House complimented the playing style of new head coach Nick Nurse while taking a subtle dig at the approach of Nurse’s predecessor, Doc Rivers.
House remarked, ‘It’s a lot more selfless basketball. It’s not so much of two guys having the ball. Doc is two guys, ball-dominant, Nick Nurse is everybody playing together, everybody working for each other. When help comes, you get your brother the open shots. You can see the difference night and day.’
House, who has seven years of NBA experience, had only one season under Rivers as his head coach with the 76ers (last season). However, he found Rivers’ offense marginalizing, averaging just 4.8 points per game in 56 appearances. Rivers heavily relied on the star duo of Joel Embiid and James Harden, with Embiid winning the scoring title and MVP while Harden led the league in assists.
In contrast, Nurse’s coaching style emphasizes a more equitable distribution of scoring, with six different double-digit scorers on his Toronto Raptors team last season, despite not having a player in the NBA’s top 30 in usage rate.
It’s worth noting that House’s comments were in response to a reporter’s question about Rivers and the differences between Rivers and Nurse. House is not the only former Rivers player who has expressed grievances about Doc’s offensive approach.