Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said Monday Ben Simmons will be the team's top playmaker this season. The Sixers coach said Simmons had an âoff-the-chartsâ practice on Monday, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps, adding the former No. 1 pick will be the âfacilitatorâ of the offense.
This is not the biggest of surprises. Simmons has elite court vision and has averaged at least 7.7 assists in all three seasons as a professional.
However, it is notable that Simmons is back to being the primary âfacilitatorâ for the Sixers after playing power forward in the bubble before his season ended due to an injury. While he is a terrific cutter who can cause mismatches for defenses when he gets position in the painted area, the 24-year-old's timidity in shooting the 3-pointer could at times make him a ghost in the offense. So, it makes all the sense in the world for Rivers to keep Simmons on the ball, especially considering some of the additions the Sixers made in the offseason.
New president of basketball operations Daryl Morey acquired veteran swingman Danny Green from the Oklahoma City Thunder, giving the Sixers the perfect 3-and-D archetype who can space the floor and spot up in the corner. Morey also swapped out Josh Richardson â a good defender but average shooter â for Seth Curry, who ranks second all-time in career 3-point percentage.
Morey has seemingly built a roster around Simmons and Joel Embiid, and adding shooters will allow Simmons to attack individual matchups while finding the open man on the perimeter. Simmons and Embiid will also run more pick-and-rolls to take advantage of their unique skill sets.
There will be plenty of eyes on Simmons, Embiid and the Sixers this year, but Rivers seems to be encouraged by what he sees from his 6-foot-10 point guard.
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