It seems like Doc Rivers has gotten used to living life without Ben Simmons being on his roster. The Australian point guard was one of the biggest stories of the offseason. Even after things went quiet, people still wonder what is going on with Simmons.
Well, Rivers isn’t the right guy to answer those questions. The veteran head coach only dealt with Simmons when he returned to the team for a couple of days. He ejected the playmaker from practice after refusing to take part in a defensive drill. After that, Simmons revealed he wasn’t mentally ready to play and it seems like that was the last time they heard of him.
Even though he was recently spotted practicing at Wells Fargo Center, nothing points out Ben is returning to the team in the near future. Rivers, for example, has no idea when that could happen, and he’s not interested in discussing it, either.
Talking with reporters ahead of Wednesday’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics, the head coach refused to talk about Simmons.
“I literally don’t even talk about it. I coach the team and the guys that I can see every day. I let Daryl [Morey] and Elton [Brand] deal with all of the other stuff.”
Doc Rivers on Ben Simmons before tonight's game vs. #Celtics:
"I literally don't even talk about it. I coach the team and the guys that I can see every day. I let Daryl and Elton deal with all of the other stuff." #Sixers
— Justin Grasso (@JGrasso_) December 1, 2021
After several months of trying to convince the player to stay with the team, it seems like most people within the franchise have given up on Simmons. It’s unclear what he’s doing right now and his agent doesn’t make things easy for the franchise.
Now Rivers is focused on the players he has, trying to do the best possible job amid a season with several challenges for the Sixers. They recovered Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris a couple of days ago, which is great news for them. As for Simmons, time will tell how his situation plays out.
