NBA superstar Ben Simmons captioned an Instagram post celebrating his selection to Forbes' list of top young athletes under 30 with "They stay talking. I stay working."
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They're always talking about Simmons in Philadelphia.
They - fans, teammates, media, gossip columnists - all want more out of the reticent Simmons than he is often inclined to give.
Their biggest gripe is the All-Star guard's seeming unwillingness to bend to the demand that he develop a shot beyond 15 feet.
The Australian's former coach publicly exhorted Simmons to shoot more 3s. Simmons ignored Brett Brown.
But his new coach Doc Rivers is just fine with whatever production he can squeeze out of the prodigious talent.
Simmons is 2-for-24 from 3-point range in the NBA.
That stat is meaningless for Rivers, starting his first season in Philadelphia after coaching stops in Orlando, Boston and with the LA Clippers.
"I don't care about Ben's shooting as much as so many other people seem to care about it," Rivers said.
"I care that he's a great player. I'm going to let him play.
"I'm going to give him the keys and let him be free and play.
"Ben is brilliant enough for me to allow him to play and not get in his way and try to cloud his head up with a bunch of crap.
"It's about winning, and that's what I want Ben to focus on, how to make each other better and win."
The Sixers didn't do enough winning last season and grossly underachieved, with Simmons missing the post-season with a knee injury as they were swept by Boston.
The Newcastle-raised 24-year-old has been the primary ball-handler for the Sixers for the bulk of his three-year career, but the 6-foot-10 triple-double threat played power forward when the NBA season resumed in the bubble.
"Is Ben a point guard? Honestly, I don't care, I don't know that yet," Rivers said.
"But I know one thing, if you can get him in space going downhill, the ball gets to the right place."
Simmons and the Sixers' All-Star centre Joel Embiid are considered one of the top duos in the NBA - but they fallen well shy of championship expectations.
"What they have to do is win," Rivers said.
"That's why we're all here, right? It's amazing how I hear they haven't won together. Yet should be the word we use more. They haven't won yet. They're young. They have time. They have time to work. I love what they both bring."
With the acquisition of shooters, most notably Seth Curry, Simmons and Embiid should flourish.
The Sixers don't have to figure yet how to help Simmons and Embiid reach their potential but those championship runs won't start until they do.
James Gardiner
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
