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Doc Rivers Believes The Philadelphia 76ers Can Win A Championship With Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons had taken much of the brunt of the Philadelphia 76ers’ shortcomings over the past NBA playoffs, particularly during the second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, where the 25-year old Sixers point guard often looked lost and became unreliable in fourth quarters.

In 12 playoff games, Simmons only averaged 11.9 points per game and shot 34% from the free-throw line, missing 48 free throws in total. On the top of that, in the decisive Game 7 of their seven-game series against the Hawks, Simmons passed up a wide open shot that could’ve tied the game during the closing minutes.

Simmons’ disastrous playoff performance has drawn plenty of criticism and even led Sixers head coach Doc Rivers to throw him under the bus, expressing doubts about Simmons’ capability of leading the team to a title as the team’s point guard.

However, as the team nears a fresh new season with Simmons being reluctant to return, Doc Rivers somewhat backtracked on his previous statement as he now confidently believes that the 76ers can win a title with Simmons on the team.

“The one thing we did do last year was we gave him the ball. We put the ball in Ben Simmons’ hands, and he led our team. He led it to the best team in the East in the regular season and one game away from the Eastern Finals. We can win a title with Ben; I just believe that.”

“We can win a title with Ben Simmons.”

– Doc Rivers
(Via @FirstTake | h/t @MarcFarzetta ) pic.twitter.com/WG2Wvu3D2u

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) September 22, 2021