In the immediate aftermath of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks last month, Doc Rivers was put on the spot with regard to his star floor general. The question was essentially this — “Do you think Ben Simmons can be the point guard for a championship team?”
Rivers’ response at the time fell well short of being any kind of an endorsement of the three-time All-Star.
“I don’t know that question, or the answer to that right now,” he said. “I don’t know the answer to that.”
Since that time, Simmons’ future in Philly has felt far less certain than ever before. Fans, pundits and even players from around the Association have engaged in an endless loop of pontification on potential trade destinations for him.
Not everyone is intent on running Simmons out of Philly, though. In particular, one of his teammates just made what was perhaps the strongest statement yet on his ability to lead a title contender and keeping Simmons in-house.
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Curry on Simmons as a Championship PG: “Absolutely”
In speaking with WPVI Action News’ Jeff Skversky recently, Sixers sharpshooter Seth Curry was asked about Simmons potentially being moved. Before offering his opinion, Philly’s starting two-guard emphasized the positive impact Simmons made on the team.
“I love playing with Ben. He made me a better player individually. He made our team better all season long,” said Curry. “He’s still a great player, but he obviously had a rough playoffs and, I mean, we know that story.”
Curry acknowledged that a Simmons trade was within the realm of possibility. However, he also noted that he’s looking forward to having the former No. 1 overall pick next to him in the lineup again next season.
“The front office is going to do whatever is best for the team, I’m sure of it. If that means Ben coming back, I mean, I hope for it and I’m looking forward to playing with him again,” he said.
“Like I said, he’s a great player, he made me better as a player, and I know he’s going to be in the gym working hard, too.”
At that point, Skversky dropped the big question; the same one that Rivers fumbled through in the wake of the Sixers’ playoff elimination. Unlike his coach, though, Curry was quick to back his guy.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” he said of Simmons’ ability to be a championship point guard.
“We were the No. 1 seed in the [East]. We’ve just got to play better. Every individual player — including him, including myself — got to play better. We could do it. I know, as a team, we weren’t far off this year. It was a great pathway to the Finals, we didn’t take care of business and that’s on all of us, individually.”
On Simmons’ Shooting Woes & the Criticism
Curry, who boasts a career three-point shooting percentage of 44.4, was then asked to comment on Simmons’ shooting woes. In responding, he made clear his opinion that Simmons’ all-around impact typically outweighs any shooting shortfall.
“Ben brings a lot to the floor; I say this all the time. He does a lot for our team — people that score 25, 20 points a game, he affects the game more than them when he’s playing well,” he said. “I mean, whether he’s making shots or not, he affects the game in a positive way when he’s doing what he does best.”
Still, Curry conceded that there is some work to be done.
“Obviously, he’s got to make free throws at a certain clip, but as far as shooting jump shots and whatnot, he’s got to do what he does best and get better.”
So, what is Curry’s advice for his teammate?
“Have confidence in your practice,” he said. “That’s pretty much it.”
“Like I say, he’s capable of doing certain things he hasn’t shown on the floor, but I’ve seen him practice, I’ve seen the stuff he works on — he’s just got to carry that over into the games.”
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