He infamously passed on an open chance to Matisse Thybulle, which indicated how low on confidence he was throughout the series. During the post-match conference, questions regarding Ben Simmons were thrown onto Doc Rivers. One of them was if he believed that Simmons could be a starting point guard in a championship-winning team. Doc’s answer to this question was a simple: ‘I don’t know’.
This added fuel to the fire and all of that has eventually built up to a situation today, where Simmons wants out of the Philadelphia 76ers with four years left on his contract. However, the Sixers coach came out in the open and cleared the air surrounding that statement he made during the post-match press conference. Speaking to Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take show, Rivers said:
Doc Rivers wants Ben Simmons to continue playing for the Philadelphia 76ers
Doc Rivers has formerly coached some exceptional players like Kevin Garnett, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce and Kawhi Leonard. He has one ring to his name and has been chasing a second one for over a decade now. His recruitment to the Philadelphia 76ers added a lot of firepower to the team, as they looked sharp on the offensive and defensive side of things.
Many a times the team looked sharp, even without their main man, Joel Embiid. Philly succeeded in finishing as the top seed in the stacked Eastern conference during the 2020-21 season and a lot of credit for that goes to Ben Simmons. Although many disregard him for his shooting, the Australian is easily one of the best passers of the ball.
Throughout last season, he was elite with his passing and also put on a wonderful defensive display. Doc Rivers had time and again come to Simmons’ rescue last season, when many accused him of not developing a jump shot. Even during so much uncertainty regarding his situation, the former Celtics coach has shown his desire to keep Simmons in Philly. Speaking to Stephen A. Smith on the First Take, Rivers said:
With all the controversy surrounding him, it looks very difficult to keep him at Philly. However, Rivers looks very optimistic about getting him back into the franchise. After finishing on top of the Eastern Conference, it will certainly be very interesting to see how the Sixers approach this season. If somehow the Ben Simmons saga ends and he stays in Philly, the Sixers will try and regain control in the East and make another run at the championship.
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