How Nick Nurse laid his foundation during his first Sixers training camp: ‘He’s picked it up a notch’

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The first day of 76ers training camp resembled a basketball clinic, with stations dispersed all over Colorado State’s Moby Arena.

The drills ranged from rebounding, to passing and cutting, to contesting shots. And most had some sort of competitive element, such as keeping track of time and score.

“You’re going ‘round and ‘round and ‘round and ‘round,” new coach Nick Nurse said following Tuesday’s opening session, “and ‘round and ‘round and ‘round and ‘round. … There was quite a bit on the menu today.”

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Nurse’s goals for his first camp orchestrating the Sixers were similar to any season’s opening week: initial player evaluation, conditioning, and installing schemes on both ends of the floor. But it also represented his staff’s first chance to set the foundation they hope carries through the entire 2023-24 season.

“It’s been amazing,” said forward Tobias Harris, who has played for a bevy of coaches during his 13-season NBA career. “You can ask everybody in here, and they would answer the same thing. It’s been just fun, high-energy. And at the same time, everybody is kind of gradually figuring out their spots on the floor, figuring out how we can come together and have the best type of chemistry that we can get.

“Through all the coaches and staffs I’ve been a part of, this has been an easy system and an easy environment to get adapted to.”

It would be far more newsworthy if Harris had not expressed such excitement and optimism, a trademark when every team is undefeated. It’s also much easier to be engaged with practice in early October than in a couple months, when the season’s grind takes a physical and mental toll. Also aiding the Sixers this week was that things were surprisingly anticlimactic after the arrival of James Harden, the disgruntled star guard who wants to be traded but joined his team for its second practice.

“This group is a little different than a couple years ago, when we had this situation [with Ben Simmons’ holdout],” reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid said. “With a new coaching staff and everything that’s going on, it’s been easy. I don’t think anybody has been distracted about what has been going on.”

The Sixers’ week in Fort Collins began with a Monday-night meeting at the team hotel, when Nurse outlined his philosophy along with immediate adjustments he planned to make after facing the Sixers as an opponent.

Then, standout guard Tyrese Maxey described fast-paced practices with “no real breaks,” requiring players to pick up concepts on the fly. Newcomer Kelly Oubre Jr. commended the smooth and efficient transitions between drills, and the organized structure of scrimmages that “leads to great basketball.” Veteran wing Danny Green, who previously went through a Nurse training camp with the Toronto Raptors in 2018, called year’s version as “a little more intense.”

“He’s picked it up a notch,” Green said of Nurse, “because he’s trying to implement a lot of his principles, his theories. … [There has been] extra focus on certain things that we lacked last year, defensively and rebounding. It’s been interesting how he’s approached that.

“He’s really getting guys to focus on that end of the floor and make it an emphasis to be better this year.”

» READ MORE: A breakdown of the Sixers’ preseason depth chart — with or without James Harden

Nurse’s initial defensive priorities include forcing more turnovers to create fast-break opportunities and encouraging the imposing Embiid to take more swings at blocks. On the opposite end of the floor, multiple players praised Nurse’s emphasis on a more free-flowing offense predicated on the ball moving side to side.

“I love it, and we all love it,” said Embiid, who led the NBA in scoring each of the past two seasons. “I think this is the best way to win, and I’ve always believed that. I never liked the idea of just being a scorer. I like to do everything on the basketball court. I want to be a playmaker. I want to score. I want to get my guys involved. I want to get them open.”

Added veteran wing Danuel House Jr.: “It’s just a lot more selfless basketball. … [Former coach Doc Rivers was] two guys, ball-dominant [Embiid and Harden]. Nick Nurse is everybody play together. Everybody work for each other. Help, cut, get your brother open shots.

“You can see the difference — night and day.”

Nurse credited his players with fostering this week’s environment, noting he was “leery” about an energy dip entering Day 2 before the Sixers instead reached an even higher level. Position battles — such as between House, Green, and Kelly Oubre Jr. as a backup wing — have contributed to the sense of urgency. And several Sixers are relentless by nature, Nurse said, including during a Friday shooting competition when they were “just going at it, trying to win those things.”

“They compete, and they’re not afraid to do that,” Nurse said. “They’re not afraid to get physical, and they’re not afraid to tell you about it a little bit, as well.”

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The Sixers departed Friday afternoon for Boston, ahead of a Saturday practice that Nurse expected to be “hard-working.” The coach acknowledged that Sunday’s preseason opener against the Celtics comes with a lot of unknowns, including how systems will translate in a game-like setting and how many minutes various players will log.

But Nurse left Fort Collins satisfied with his team’s work. Then Oubre echoed his coach and teammates as he departed Moby Arena for the final time, calling their week on campus productive and … enjoyable?

“I had fun,” Oubre said. “That’s really weird to say when training camp is around. But I had fun.”