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Head coach Brett Brown has tried his best at monitoring his young players' minutes on the court, especially the likes of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, who have come off season-long injuries in the past.
Despite Simmons' amazing prowess as an all-around threat with the basketball, Brown admits that he will prioritize his health over anything else, even taking him out of the court before he's able to collect another triple-double.
“I’m always reminded by assistants, and sometimes the players, like ‘Oh, he’s two rebounds away from a triple-double,’ ” Brown said, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “That’s not my job. My job is to coach the team.”
“I wouldn’t feel responsible. I couldn’t sleep at night if you are trying to search for stats and something happened injury-wise.”
Simmons has likely been stripped of a few triple-doubles during his rookie year in the league, but fortunately, he has missed only one game this season — playing in 62 of 63 games in 2017-18.
The Australian product notably missed his first year in the league with a foot injury, delaying his NBA debut until this season — something that has been almost forgotten to those who are dazzled by his play.
Simmons' ability to find ways to score, rebound the ball consistently and find his teammates at all spots on the court has made him a triple-double threat each game, but Brown couldn't care less.
“I don’t care what the stat sheet says,” Brown said of taking Simmons out. “As long as I can feel like we are going to win the game, then I feel like that’s my role in all of this.”
