It does not appear as though Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers appreciated how the voting for the All-Star teams turned out. According to the first-year Sixers coach, he firmly believes that both Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris deserve to be recognized for their outstanding play this season, while also throwing a bit of shade at some other players out there.
According to Rivers, it's easy to put up eyebrow-raising numbers when you're on a bad team (h/t Chris W. Crouse of FortyEightMinutes):
#HereTheyCome Doc Rivers says Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris should get more consideration for the #NBAAllStar game because they are on a winning squad.
“Anyone can get numbers on a bad team. Someone’s got to score” pic.twitter.com/TuOZl1HLql
— 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜 𝚆. 𝙲𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 🏙 (@ChrisWCrouse) February 21, 2021
Shots fired from Doc here. The first name that comes to mind here is, of course, Bradley Beal. The Washington Wizards shooting guard got the most votes among East guards, and this isn't surprising at all considering how Beal is currently leading the league in points per game. In spite of his heroic effort, however, the Wizards remain 13th in the East with a 10-17 record.
What Rivers seems to be pointing out here is that players like Beal can easily put up insane numbers simply because they're the only one their team can depend on night in and night out. The same cannot be said for Simmons and Harris, who have both excelled this season in spite of playing on a star-studded Sixers squad.
For what it's worth, Simmons ranked eighth in the votes among East guards, while Harris was not even part of the Top 10 frontcourt players in the Eastern Conference. Unsurprisingly, Joel Embiid got the nod as a starter after ranking third among East frontcourt players — and rightfully so.
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