Ben Simmons was run off the court for his woeful shooting performance against the Atlanta Hawks, costing the 76ers their series.
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However, despite his struggles from the charity stripe and his almost unnatural fear of taking a jumpshot, Philadelphia Head Coach Doc Rivers has made no mistake of his intentions with Ben Simmons. He wants the DPOY contender back.
He wants to improve Simmons’ game and make sure that the former All Star can reach the potential he has. Rivers also claims that Simmons’ shot doesn’t need much improving.
Doc River Trusts Ben Simmons To Turn His Game Around, Wants The Philly Star Back
Simmons was once seen as the perfect fit alongside Joel Embiid. A defensive point guard who could pose mismatches with his size and facilitate the ball? Say less.
Simmons and Embiid thrived together during the regular season as they both finished as All Stars this year (with Embiid being the MVP runner up) and tore apart the East, finishing with the best record in the conference.
Things finally looked they were going to work out for Philadelphia. They cruised past the Wizards in the first round of the playoffs and Simmons looked genuinely good. He averaged nearly a triple double while shooting 64% from the field.
While he kept his shooting percentage up, Simmons did not display the same kind of aggressive mentality that he had in the Wizards series against the Hawks. He missed free throws, dodged jump shots, and even avoided shooting a critical open layup.
Something seemed off, and it was clear that Simmons was nowhere near to playing the role he was expected to: a co-star. That went to Seth Curry instead.
However, Rivers still wants Simmons back, and he doesn’t think that his jump shot needs too much tweaking. Trade rumors have connected Simmons to multiple players including CJ McCollum or even Damian Lillard, but for now, it looks like Doc Rivers wants to keep Simmons around.
