Assigning blame for the Sixers’ Ben Simmons quagmire: Coaches
The next round of blame gets served to the Philadelphia head coaches. Holding one shot glass is Brett Brown (pun intended). Before getting fired after playoff elimination in the Disney Bubble, Brown was in a position to elevate Simmons’ game. To his credit, he did challenge Simmons, especially in the season where Simmons did hit a couple of threes in real game situations. Yet, as they say, “too little, too late.”
In the previous three seasons, Brown failed to help Simmons insert a midrange game into the offense. You could claim that Joel Embiid’s heavy touches on the block prevents a Simmons midrange approach, but that’s just a flawed argument. There were plenty of opportunities for Simmons to post up and attempt jumpers at the elbow or along the baseline. Brown just did not push hard enough.
Remember that family dynamic? It is no secret that Brown coached Simmons’ father in Australia. Many have wondered if that relationship impeded growth because Brown knew Simmons as a child. Did he take it easy on his point guard because he was reluctant to disrespect the father by scolding Simmons for not enhancing his perimeter play? You would think a father would want his son to be encouraged by a coach to be his best. It just never materialized under Brown.
The next shot glass is held by Doc Rivers. Although he is revered around the NBA for being a players coach, maybe he should have shown tougher love to Simmons last season. Instead of chastising the media and fanbase for expecting too much from Simmons and hiding his deficiencies on the perimeter, perhaps Rivers should have ripped the bandaid off and let Simmons sink or swim by mandating more jump shots.
At this point, Doc Rivers’ relationship is beyond repair after the press conference that followed the game 7 loss to Atlanta. Even though Rivers lauded Simmons’ defense and passing all season, when put on the spot about his All-Star point guard possibly being a championship-caliber point guard, he balked. All of Simmons’ poor shooting habits that were glossed over in media sessions came back to hurt Rivers, and the team ultimately, and the truth reared its head at the lowest point of the season. Rivers’ dubious response was raw and will most likely resonate with Simmons for quite a while.