Newly appointed Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers is pretty pleased to have two young superstars like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons at his disposal next season.
Although they are two of the most promising players in their respective positions in the league right now, Rivers admitted that the Sixers' culture must change for them to truly be elite.
“We have to change the narrative. They haven't won yet. It's not that they can't win,” the one-time NBA champion coach described the Embiid-Simmons pairing, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
Doc Rivers took over the reins from the ousted Brett Brown and will now take on the challenge of reinventing the underachieving Sixers squad. Despite boasting a formidable lineup in the 2019-20 campaign with the re-signing of Tobias Harris and additions of Al Horford and Josh Richardson, Philly struggled in the regular season (particularly on the road) and settled for sixth place in the East with a 43-30 slate.
The Sixers didn't put up much of a fight against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs and got easily swept in the first round.
After notching 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.1 steals in the regular season, Ben Simmons played only three games in the bubble before suffering a season-ending knee injury. That series against the Celtics could have been a bit more competitive had he been around.
Joel Embiid put the Sixers on his shoulders in the first-round series against the Cs with impressive tallies of 30.0 points, 12.3 boards, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks, but he still couldn't help his team avoid the broom.
Doc Rivers, meanwhile, does have his own shortcomings as a coach in the postseason. Still, he's a proven leader who mentored a lot of top NBA talent over the years. Maybe Doc holds the keys to unlock the full potential of the Embiid-Simmons tandem.
Follow Us
Subscribe