76ers head coach Doc Rivers had finally grown sick of Ben Simmons for his shooting woes, and reveals his honest opinion after game 5.
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Ben Simmons is excellent at a lot of things. Unfortunately, shooting just isn’t one of them.
The star has warranted his role as a starter so far in the series because of his lockdown defense, and incredible passing ability. However, the player’s shooting ability, or lack thereof, has become increasingly more painful to watch as the playoffs go on. And his lack of aggression certainly doesn’t help his case either.
When he first became head coach for the 76ers, Doc Rivers defended Simmons in any way he could. But, after Simmons failed completely to do anything noteworthy on the offensive end in their game-5 loss, it seems the man finally chose to hold the star accountable.
Let’s get into it.
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Doc Rivers announces the conditions Ben Simmons has to meet to receive big minutes ahead of game 6
This game couldn’t have ended worse for the Philadelphia 76ers, which is confusing, because they couldn’t have started better. The team looked to be dominating their opposition on both ends and jumped out to an early lead.
At one point, Philadelphia was up by as much as 20, and many assumed the game was essentially in the bag. And then, right then, the world went upside down for the home team.
The team as a whole was abysmal on both ends, but Ben Simmons was especially culpable. He hit just 4 of his 10 free throws and had just 8 points off 4 field goal attempts. Frankly, those aren’t star numbers at all. They are numbers even players at the end of the bench wouldn’t be too happy with.
Evidently, Doc Rivers has had enough of his player’s woes and told this to the media after the game.
Rivers on Simmons and the free throw issue: “When Ben makes them, we get to leave him in. When he doesn’t, we can’t. That’s just the way it is.”
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) June 17, 2021
Whether or not Ben Simmons is shooting with the wrong hand (shout-out to Kevin O’Connor), it’s time for him to buck up. He needs to pull his socks up and take things personally now.
His aggression is what can change the result of these kinds of games. But, if the player can’t even do that, he may well be on the trading block once again, this off-season.
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