Is Doc Rivers Second-Guessing Ben Simmons' Value as Sixers' Point Guard?
Ben Simmons' days as the Philadelphia 76ers' primary ball-handler could finally be in jeopardy. Ever since coming into the NBA, many have questioned Simmons' ability to be the point guard of the Sixers' offense due to his lack of a three-point shot and not really being a threat to take a jump shot in general. But the Sixers never had anybody on board that could replace him at point guard. During a brief stint in the NBA's bubble last season, former Sixers head coach Brett Brown believed Shake Milton could be that guy. After looking like a budding star before the league's COVID-19 suspension, Brown was finally ready to make the transition to utilizing Simmons as a power forward. Unfortunately, the experiment lasted three games as Simmons suffered a knee injury during the third seeding game down in Orlando. The next time Simmons took the court, the Sixers started a new regime with Doc Rivers as the head coach. While many believed Rivers would be the guy to force Simmons to turn to the tide and expand his game, absolutely nothing changed. Making a move back to point guard for the 2020-2021 NBA season, Simmons had himself a solid season. For the third-straight year, Simmons earned himself an All-Star nod. While he had a Defensive Player of the Year campaign and distributed the ball well on the offensive end, nothing about Simmons' game changed. He made three of those in 58 games. Still won't even consider them on most possessions. And to top it all off, when the 2021 NBA Playoffs came around, Simmons was missing his free throws at a historically bad rate. As a result, he played passive on offense and avoided attacking the rim as it seemed he didn't want to get fouled. Many have said it all season long that Simmons' offensive deficiencies will kill the Sixers the deeper they go in the playoffs as the game slows down and forces teams to beat defenses with their half-court offense. Those who claimed that theory couldn't be more correct as Simmons struggled mightily to have an offensive impact in the second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks this year. Following a disappointing Game 7 loss at home on Sunday night, Simmons finished the series averaging just nine points while taking only six shots per game and hitting on just 33-percent of his free throws. In the midst of Philly's eventual playoff failure, the questions regarding Simmons' ability to be the point guard of the 76ers' offense were once again raised. At this point, even his head coach seems unsure. "I don't know that question or the answer to that right now," said Sixers coach Doc Rivers, following the Game 7 loss on Sunday night. "You know, so I don't know the answer to that." All season long, Rivers refused to agree with the sentiment that Simmons' unwillingness to change at all offensively was detrimental to the team. Before the second-round playoff series against the Hawks, it wasn't as obvious. Once again, though, when the game slowed down in the postseason, Simmons' glaring weaknesses killed the Sixers when the games mattered the most. Whether Rivers changed his mind about the team's point guard or not throughout the seven-game series is unclear. Based on his reaction to a straightforward question about Simmons' ability to quarterback a championship-winning offense in a shooter's league, though, it seems Rivers could be second-guessing it all. Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.