Lou Williams Subtly Blames Nick Nurse’s ‘Soft Nature’ For 76ers’ Downfall, Claims They Won’t Improve Until Head Coach is Stern

The 76ers entered the 2024-25 season as title contenders, but a month into the campaign, they have spiraled downward into a position to win the NBA Draft lottery. They are tied with the Wizards for the worst record in the league, which led to the players having an emergency meeting where they pointed fingers at each other. They also told head coach Nick Nurse that they wanted to be coached harder, which Lou Williams believes is an unrealistic demand.

On the latest episode of the Run It Back podcast, the three-time Sixth Man of the Year award winner claimed Nurse’s passive coaching style is one of the main reasons the 76ers have been in a slump. He said,

“He coached me in Toronto… Nick Nurse would be what you consider a player’s coach. … That can get taken as soft or not coaching us hard enough when you’re going in and out of your way to try to please players. That’s who Nick Nurse is.”

Williams added that he’s not of the opinion that Nurse’s coaching technique doesn’t work, because it certainly does. After all, he led the Raptors to a championship win in 2019, one of the impressive coaching feats of this century. However, the former Raptors guard feels the 76ers don’t need coddling, but the head coach’s nature wouldn’t allow him to be the authoritarian figure that the team requires. He said,

“[The Sixers] can’t afford you asking us questions and tip-toeing around feelings.”

Former NBA star and Williams’ co-star on the Run It Back podcast Chandler Parsons was in disbelief about the players calling out Nurse. He claimed that the head coach needed to change his ways or risk losing the locker room. He said,

“This is the worst thing you can hear as a coach. You have to set the tone… I played for Kevin McHale. He would jump James Harden just as hard as he’d jump a rookie.”

The 76ers are in choppy waters and Nurse has done little to steady the ship. It has forced the players to take matters into their own hands to save the season before it’s too late.

Sixers call emergency locker room meeting

Following Philadelphia’s 106-89 loss to the Heat, the players met to discuss why they are sitting at the foot of the Eastern Conference standings 13 games into the season. In the meeting, All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey reportedly called out Embiid for his lack of effort.

He voiced his frustration about the center’s punctuality issues and pointed out that he’s “late for everything.“ Embiid’s alleged lack of focus could explain his horrible start to the season. The former MVP has looked like a shell of himself. He’s averaging 14.7 points on 32.4% shooting from the field and 6.3 rebounds.

The 76ers players airing their grievances could prove to be a positive move in the long run. They can address the issues and turn the tide of their dwindling season. It remains to be seen whether the meeting helps salvage the season or ends up fracturing the locker room beyond repair.