Doc Rivers Admits He Doesn't Know If Ben Simmons Is A Championship Player

76ers coach Doc Rivers said he’s unsure whether Ben Simmons is a championship-caliber player after the team’s Game 7 loss.

Philidelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers admitted that he’s unsure if Ben Simmons can play point guard at the level required to compete for a championship, following the team’s Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Sunday. Although the team was able to hold Trae Young to an uncharacteristically inefficient performance, the 76ers lost 103-96.

“Can Ben Simmons be the point guard of a championship team?” a reporter asked Rivers after the game.

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“I don’t know the answer to that,” Rivers responded candidly.

When speaking about Simmons later in the press conference, he added: “I still believe in him.”

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Simmons finished with just five points despite being one of the highest-paid players in the league. He failed to surpass eight points in each of the 76ers’ last three games.

“We lost, it sucks, I am who I am, it is what it is, it’s not easy to win…first thing I’m going to do is clear my mind and get my mental right,” Simmons said after the loss.

Despite his poor scoring performance, Simmons recorded 13 assists in the game.

The Hawks will take on the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday.

[Via]