Entering the playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers were considered a legitimate contender for this year's title — especially since they had MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid on their side. Unfortunately, the Sixers are now on vacation after they were eliminated by the Miami Heat in the second round.
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers recently looked back on what ended up being another disappointing season for his team. The 60-year-old shot-caller admitted that there were a lot of “distractions” that ultimately led to Philly's downfall:
“We had a lot of distractions this year,” Rivers said after their season-ending loss to the Heat, via Justin Grasso of FanNation. “You know, we really did. And I think when I look back on the season, you know, not having our second-best player for most of the year, no one thought we would be where we would record-wise. So, I like to think that we did a hell of a job getting us getting us there. And then we get James, and we want to see if we had enough time to put it together. And clearly, we did not.”
Doc Rivers was clearly referencing Ben Simmons when he spoke about not having the team's “second-best player” available. The former Rookie of the Year sat out the entire year for Philly (and eventually the Nets) due to injury before forcing a blockbuster move to Brooklyn.
At this point, it's hard not to wonder how things would have panned out for the Sixers if Simmons played this season. Or perhaps if he was traded earlier in the campaign. I guess we'll never know.
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