To say the very least, Brett Brown is not Philadelphia’s favorite coach. Which is why this may come as a surprise: Brett Brown is now about to produce his 4th NBA head coach in Ime Udoka. Udoka, a former assistant with the San Antonio Spurs was brought to the 76ers this past season and has been highlighted as a contender for head-coaching vacancies this upcoming offseason.

Rumor: Ime Udoka frontrunner to become Bulls new coach https://t.co/8ykfmsw6Kk

— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) June 6, 2020

As mentioned above, if Ime Udoka is in fact hired by the Chicago Bulls, he will be the 4th 76ers assistant to move on to a head coaching position. The other 3 being Mike D’Antoni of the Houston Rockets (shut up he was an assistant I count it), Lloyd Pierce of the Atlanta Hawks, and Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns. Even without D’Antoni, 3 NBA head coaches in 3 consecutive seasons and only being a head coach for 7 is something worth noting. 

The Suns have agreed to terms with Monty Williams to become the 20th head coach in franchise history! pic.twitter.com/Wm7tU8agIX

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) May 3, 2019

Outside of Popovich, who is nearly untouchable with the number of assistants that have become head coaches, there aren’t many that are close to BB. Doc Rivers is the only one close to producing such talent. For a coach that is often under scrutiny for 76ers failures or shortcomings, he has done a fantastic job developing coaches. Pierce and Williams have both been given young teams with a lot of upside and have been able to help prosper the team and continue to build and improve.  

BREAKING: The Atlanta Hawks have hired former 76ers assistant Lloyd Pierce as their new head coach. pic.twitter.com/OYO4OYqCIc

— Georgia Sports Now (@GASportsNow) May 11, 2018

Brett Brown hate is often unjustified. People fail to realize that chemistry is such a key aspect of a team’s success, and given the constant roster changes, Brett has never been given the luxury of a familiar roster. Having four roster overhauls in 2 years is hard on any coach. A few months is nowhere near enough time to game plan, create plays, and find a proven rotation that is best for the roster you have.

Despite all of that, every year they have been in a position to succeed. The Jimmy and Tobi era only played roughly 20 games together and they were able to go 7 games with the future NBA champions. While all of these roster moves are not negative, it is hard to blame the coach for not winning immediately with significant changes like that during the season, let alone twice in the same year. Winning takes time (Hint: The Last Dance).

A lot of what Brett Brown does well, is overshadowed by criticism. Assistant Coach development is not the only area he succeeds at. You also have the development of Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle.

Philadelphia has a tendency to expect much more than what’s realistic out of their young players. Even more so after suffering through “the process” years. While you’re upset that the 76ers haven’t won a ring yet with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, I wouldn’t be quick to throw Brett under the bus just yet.

There is still a lot more he can do and fans should have more faith in his abilities.