76ers Expected to Lose Another Key Assistant

After hiring Nick Nurse, a few Sixers assistants are moving on.

When the Philadelphia 76ers parted ways with Doc Rivers, that signaled a potential change beyond the head coach as well. Typically, when organizations switch head coaches, many assistants on the staff part ways with the team as well.

Not long after the 76ers made the Nick Nurse hire official, it was reported that one of Doc Rivers’ top assistants would be leaving for a division rival.

Sam Cassell will reportedly join Joe Mazzulla’s staff on the Boston Celtics next season. Cassell, who joined the 76ers in 2020 after a run with the Los Angeles Clippers, was initially considered a potential Rivers replacement in Philadelphia.

However, after the Sixers considered five other candidates as well, they decided to offer the job to Nurse, who has championship experience and a Coach of the Year title under his belt after his five-year run as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors.

Cassell isn’t the only key assistant that’s expected to move on. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Dan Burke is expected to part ways with Philadelphia and will reportedly head to Detroit, where he’ll join Monty Williams’ staff on the Pistons.

Similar to Cassell, Burke joined the 76ers in 2020 when Doc Rivers took over following the Brett Brown era. At the time, Burke was known as a long-time assistant, having spent a few seasons coaching the Portland Trail Blazers and a 23-year stint with the Indiana Pacers.

With Cassell and Burke expected to be out next season, the Sixers will miss a key defensive mind and a fiery guard whisperer who forged great relationships with members of the backcourt.

Now, all eyes will be on Dave Joerger, who was also a key member of Doc Rivers’ staff over the last few seasons. When Joerger came to Philadelphia in 2020, he was coming off two head coaching stints, with one in Memphis and another in Sacramento.

While Joerger hasn’t gained too much attention in head coaching searches over the last few years, he’ll certainly have some interested suitors if Nick Nurse and the Sixers don’t plan to keep him around.