Doc Rivers Expected to Return to Clippers Next Season, Per Report

Two NBA head coaches (Jeff Hornacek of the Knicks and Frank Vogel of the Magic) have already been fired within hours of the regular season’s end. Being a head coach in the NBA is a tough job, one where most coaches don’t have much job security or time to meet the expectations of management.

Therefore, even though Doc Rivers is one of the most respected coaches in the NBA, and performed masterfully this season, there are some reasonable doubts about his return to the Clippers next season. The Clippers are clearly going through a rebuild, and it is possible that either or the team don’t think he is the man for that particular job. However, per David Aldridge of NBA.com (one of the most respected journalists in the business), that view does not appear to be the case. Instead, he has been informed that Doc Rivers is “expected to return” next season.

Doc Rivers was phenomenal this season in managing a team beset by injury and staffed with young, inexperienced players. He got the Clippers to remain hungry and motivated to play hard all season, and the young players developed significantly under his watch. Next year seems like it might be another transitionary season, as the Clippers are trying to clear cap space for the summer of 2019. Doc has proven how capable he is in such a situation, and his joy for coaching was renewed this past year. Things are far from set in stone, but the 2018-2019 season will apparently see Doc take up his mantle as the coach of the Clippers once again, and that’s good news for Clippers’ fans.