PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers is not letting up on his defense of Ben Simmons. Some observers are finding Simmons' postseason performance to be lacking at a time when the Sixers need him to step up.
"If I'm Ben, at some point, I'd get tired of it," an exasperated Rivers said to reporters Monday night. "I just would, because he's just too good, and he does so many good things for this basketball team. … Celebrate him. Celebrate all the stuff he does well. We don't do that enough."
Simmons had 13 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in just under 25 minutes of the Sixers' 122-114 Game 4 loss to the Washington Wizards on Monday night. That included Simmons shooting four-of-five from the field and — most notably — five-of-11 from the foul line.
Wizards head coach Scott Brooks was implementing their "Hack-A-Ben" strategy late in the fourth quarter, intentionally fouling Simmons to put him on the free throw line as often as possible, to quickly regain possession. When the clock showed 2 minutes left in the quarter, the rules forced the Wizards to stop.
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Simmons played only 25 minutes because of foul trouble, but Joel Embiid played only 11 minutes because of a knee injury. The team's best player missed most of the game. Fans look to the squad's other All-Star to step up and save the day.
Asked if it's fair to think Simmons doesn’t deliver on that expectation, Rivers had one thing to say: No.
"But you guys keep this Ben Simmons narrative alive, which to me is freakin' insane — how good this guy is and all that he does," he said.
Simmons himself addressed the perception that he is underperforming.
"To an extent, I think I just got to stay aggressive. I'm still gonna go to the line. I'm not really worried about people fouling me, whatever it is. Just got to get there and knock them down," he said.
He explained that he was "a little passive at certain times" when he was trying to find his teammates.
Rivers said he isn't bothered by the alarming five-of-11 foul shot statistic.
"I didn't think he was scared of the moment," Rivers insisted. "He just didn't make [the shots]. So with Ben, we're gonna keep him on the floor. Unless you guys want us to bench him the whole game, if anybody wants us to do that, just let me know, and then I'll know you don't know basketball."
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To date, Simmons is five-for-20 in the series. That has not hurt the Sixers, because they're up 3-1 heading into Game 5, but down the line, it could hinder their aspirations to win a championship.
Sixers legend and TNT analyst Charles Barkley said on "Inside The NBA" that Simmons won't be a superstar until he learns how to shoot the ball — or at least attempt more shots — and make free throws.
"If he's gonna miss those free throws, then the Sixers cannot and will not win a championship under those circumstances."
Barkley also theorized that Simmons free throw woes are a result of pressure.
"I've seen guys who can make free throws in practice. That does not matter until the bright lights come on. So, to me, it's clearly stress related."
(These comments appear below at 8:08 and 10:21, respectively.)
Barkley made his comments well after Simmons' postgame press conference, so there's no response yet from the 24-year-old Sixers guard.
But his coach has one simple message pertinent to the situation: "You guys keep the Ben narrative going. We're just gonna keep playing."