Brett Brown talks Olympics, new players, coaching changes and more

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The Sixers still have a couple months before the season starts, but it’s hard to contain Brett Brown’s excitement about this upcoming year.

In an interview on The BroadCast podcast with Sixers.com’s Brian Seltzer, the Sixers' head coach discussed a variety of topics, including the recent NBA schedule announcement. The Sixers will open the season on national television against the Oklahoma City Thunder, marking the Sixers' first nationally televised game since April 2013 and the first while Brown has been coach.

“I think it’s really a statement to how the public views our young and exciting team,” he said.

Brown also discussed what he’s seen from two of the Sixers’ players who are competing in the Olympics: Dario Saric and Sergio Rodriguez. As expected, he was full of compliments for both players, but was sure to point out the shortcomings of each player and what they’re going to need to develop.

“I feel like we knew the competitive side, we knew the physical side,” Brown said of Saric. “I think the more I study him, you realize how he’s really gifted intellectually on how to play our sport. I think that although his birth certificate would admit to everyone that he’s still very young, his basketball experience is very old.”

He also said Saric is starting to develop more of a complete package of skills, noting the forward's competiveness and aggressiveness as aspects that have stood out to him in the Olympics.

“You can tell by the look on his face and his body language and the next play,” Brown said. “He’s going to have to take those times he shows tremendous poise and also when things are going a little bit funny, pull himself back and get himself back on track. I say that almost out of a compliment.

“He’s so competitive, he wants to please so much. I see all those things come up. There are times when I see the emotional side of it sometimes go a little bit too far. I see poise most of the time. But what I see all of the time is a well-skilled versatile player that I think is going to have a tremendous career in the NBA.”

Brown also discussed Rodriguez, who has been a key piece as Spain’s point guard in Rio. Brown had high praise for his passing ability, noting the Sixers’ passing should be one of their strongest attributes next season between Rodriguez, Saric, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

“[Rodriguez] is amongst Europe’s best, maybe Europe’s best, as a point guard running the pick and roll and passing and finding people,” Brown said. “I think that skill stands out more and more and more each time that I see him.”

Brown also said he misses the Olympics “terribly” and has been lucky to go to three of them over his lifetime. He said the experience of being in the same arenas as the best athletes in the world were amazing experiences.

Finally, Brown discussed the addition of Jim O’Brien as an assistant coach. The Roman Catholic High School and St. Joe’s grad will enter his second stint on the Sixers' coaching staff for after he was the head coach in 2004-05.

“For me, with his Philadelphia background and NBA experiences, and the fact that I felt extremely comfortable with him, I really respect his resume, and I feel like he would be a veteran sounding board,” Brown said.

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