Additional Sixers Coaches Enter NBA's Health & Safety Protocol

The Philadelphia 76ers are no strangers to the NBA's COVID-19 outbreak this season. Last month, the Sixers were one of the first teams to deal with an outbreak

The Philadelphia 76ers are no strangers to the NBA's COVID-19 outbreak this season. Last month, the Sixers were one of the first teams to deal with an outbreak as a team trainer made contact with the veteran forward Tobias Harris after testing positive.

Harris felt symptomatic back in early November and took a COVID test to be cautious. As it turned out, he was positive. Not too long after Harris entered the NBA's health and safety protocol, Sixers' second-year guard Isaiah Joe joined him.

Then, Matisse Thybulle and Joel Embiid were the third and fourth members of the roster miss time due to COVID. While those four players were the only ones to enter the protocol in November, the Sixers saw another outbreak in December.

A couple of weeks ago, Sixers veteran forward Georges Niang entered the protocol. After two games, Andre Drummond and Shake Milton joined him. Then, a few nights later, Danny Green became the fourth member of the Sixers' roster to enter the protocol this month.

Although the Sixers were starting to get healthier as Niang, Drummond, and Milton have all been cleared out of the protocol at this point, the Sixers saw another small outbreak on Thursday ahead of their matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.

More Losses for the Sixers

Two newly acquired players were ruled out ahead of Thursday's game due to COVID-related reasons. Two-way guard Myles Powell and the ten-day signee Tyler Johnson were the latest players to enter the protocol.

Meanwhile, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers entered the protocol on Thursday, a team official confirmed. He became the sixth head coach to enter the protocol. 

In addition to Rivers, the Sixers also went into Thursday's game without two assistant coaches. According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sixers assistants Sam Cassell and Brian Adams were added to the health and safety protocol. 

Without Doc Rivers on the Sixers' bench, one of his top assistants, Dan Burke, took over as the head coach. Although Burke had no previous head coaching experience outside of a few games in the past, the longtime NBA assistant earned his first win as a head coach on Thursday night in Brooklyn.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.