"It was the first question after we just lost a Game 7" - Doc Rivers clarifies his past comment on Ben Simmons' ability to lead a championship caliber team
Ben Simmons has been in the news ever since his below-par performance in the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks. Many raised questions over his inability to shoot, as that looked to have severely impacted the Sixers throughout the 7 games against the Hawks. In the penultimate game of the series, Simmons looked completely off as he only scored five points in the 35 minutes he played.
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:
"I want to correct that. I would love you guys to play what I said. The question asked about Ben, it was the first one after we just lost a Game 7. My answer was, " I'm not answering any of that stuff right now guys, I don't even know how to answer that." All of that had nothing to do with anything about Ben, I was basically saying, 'I'm not answering that crap', those questions. What disappointed me and you know I don't do this media thing very often. It was Ben portraying that I didn't think we can win with him and I do, I told that to him the next day. What really disappointed me was, the next day I went on and said,"Guys I don't know exactly what I was talking about," and no one heard it, they just kept running their narratives."
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.
ESPN Sources: Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons will not report for opening of training camp next week and intends to never play another game for the franchise. Simmons hasn’t spoken to team since a late August meeting when he communicated this message to Sixers officials.
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:
"People talk about that Game 7 and I'm not sure what the actual stats is, but I want to say, Trae Young was 5-24 right. Who did that? Ben Simmons did that. You know, we forget a lot of a things he does, but I don't because I am a coach and I know the value that he has for the team. Yes, we've got to get him better at the free-throw line, because of he does that, it frees up all kinds of other things for him. The one thing we did last year was we gave him the ball, we put the ball in Ben Simmons' hand and he led our team to the best record in the East in the regular and one game short of the conference finals. We can win a title with Ben, I just believe that."
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.
Also Read: Who is Doc Rivers’ wife, Kristen Campion?