Philadelphia 76ers: Is Monty Williams best coaching fit in Philadelphia?

With Brett Brown’s liabilities becoming increasingly on full display, should Monty Williams be the guy to get the Philadelphia 76ers to the promised land?

In case you haven’t noticed, Brett Brown is kind of unpopular at the moment with Philadelphia 76ers fans.

Need proof? May I present to you a quick Twitter search of Brett Brown.

Nuff said.

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Now don’t get me wrong, Brown will go down in history as a vital cog in Sixers history for shepherding the team through the uber-lows of the 2013-16 years of the ‘ Process’, but with one of the top-5, if not top-2 most talented rosters in basketball right now, it’s hard not to disappointed by a team that’s sum isn’t even close to its parts.

Simply put, Brown’s scheme, style, and coaching philosophy, divorced from his nurturing nature and developmental charm, has become a liability when facing off against more wily, innovative coaches in a postseason situation.

But hey, it’s not all bad. The 76ers actually do have a coach that’s getting a lot of traction: Monty Williams.

For those unfamiliar with Williams, he joined the Sixers staff at the start of the 2018 regular season to replace current Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce as Brown’s top assistant following a two-year absence with coaching.

And if you believe Jackie MacMullan, who recently spent time in Philly for an ESPN profile on Joel Embiid (and really why shouldn’t you?), Williams has become a bit of a Sixers whisperer over the last calendar year.

In conversation with Rachel Nichols, Scottie Pippen, and (of all people) Ice Cube on ‘The Jump’, MacMullan mentioned that the 76ers young corp have deep, deep respect for Williams, and he’s been a paramount addition to the club.

But there’s a problem; Williams is going to be a head coach next season.

After playing in the NBA for 18 seasons, including his final one with the 76ers, before transitioning to the bench from 2005 on, Williams is among the top candidates for both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns; interest that could turn to action once the 76ers are eliminated from postseason contention.

While one could argue which opportunity is a better fit for the 47-year-old former forward, as they have very different trajectories at the moment, Williams best fit may actually be where he already is: in Philadelphia.

With Brett Brown reportedly on the chopping block if his squad doesn’t make it out of the Eastern Conference semi-finals, one of the worst kept secrets in the league, it’s entirely possible that the 76ers could view Williams as their coach waiting in the wings, and offer to keep him in town if the ‘Brett Brown experiment’ finally comes to an end following another premature exit despite having an improved roster.

I mean think about it, for a second, Williams already knows all of the players, has a relationship with the front office, and (presumably) lives in Philadelphia. He knows what each player has to offer and could be pivotal in retaining free agents who respect him as both a coach and a former 76ers players.

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Could this all be for not, and we find the team facing off against Milwaukee or Boston in the conference finals, all but locking in Brett Brown’s future with the club? Totally, but if things go south, don’t be surprised if Monty Williams is the next head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.