Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday, and he offered a lot of insight into the Ben Simmons situation.
He made a bold statement by saying he believes the organization “can win a title” with Simmons.
“We can win a title with Ben Simmons.”
– Doc Rivers
(Via @FirstTake | h/t @MarcFarzetta ) pic.twitter.com/WG2Wvu3D2u— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) September 22, 2021
Additionally, Rivers explained that Simmons’ free-throw shooting is his biggest issue. He added that the team has hired a specialist to help the three-time All-Star in that department.
More from Doc Rivers:
-Simmons' biggest issue is free throw shooting. PHI hired a FT and a shooting coach to help
-When asked how much pressure he feels to get things right with Simmons, Rivers said "Umm…let's say I slept well last night. We have a chance to get back at it."— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) September 22, 2021
Above all, it sounds like the Sixers want Simmons back for the 2021-22 campaign. It has been an extremely rocky offseason for the organization, and with the regular season rapidly approaching, Philadelphia is seemingly running out of options.
Despite the team’s best efforts, the Sixers haven’t been able to find a deal they like for Simmons. Now that time is becoming a factor, it seems like the organization is doing its best to move forward with the 25-year-old.
But Simmons doesn’t seem to be on board with that plan. The former first-round pick reportedly isn’t planning on reporting to training camp and doesn’t intend to play for the team again.
With so many factors at play, it will be fascinating to see how this saga unfolds. Simmons is still a solid NBA player, but it’s anyone’s guess as to where he will spend the 2021-22 season.
