The Philadelphia 76ers came up short of their ultimate goal for the second straight year, getting eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in back to back seasons. While this led to speculation that head coach Brett Brown could potentially be fired, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Sixers plan to retain Brown heading into next season.
Brett Brown will return as the Philadelphia 76ers coach next season, managing partner Josh Harris told ESPN on Monday night. Harris, Brown and GM Elton Brand met today to discuss offseason priorities, including draft and free agency.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 14, 2019
Even though the Sixers and their fans surely wanted to go deeper during their past two postseason runs, Brett Brown has done an admirable job bringing together a contending roster. While his use of Joel Embiid was questionable at times, Brown has been excellent at implementing a scheme that works to his players’ strenghths.
The only thing that left people calling for his job was how mediocre they looked at times with one of the most well-rounded lineups in the league. The 76ers’ starting five can contend with anyone in the NBA, but cohesiveness among the group seemed to be lacking at times.
In his exit press conference, Brown discussed the future of the 76ers and the excitement and buzz continuing to build around Philly with an emergent basketball team and winning culture.
“For us to be able to retain, recruit, grow, empower, watch this program unfold… this is incredibly exciting.”
Brett Brown talks about the culture that has developed within the program. pic.twitter.com/wHDlTfkxtv
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 14, 2019
