The Philadelphia 76ers had themselves a tough 2019-20 season on the floor as they fell completely short of any expectations the team had for themselves on their title quest. The big moves the team made in the 2019 offseason did not result in what the team had hoped for.
They had issues getting an awkward roster to fit and when they were swept in Round 1, there was a lot of finger-pointing. The first shot came from former guard Josh Richardson who said former coach Brett Brown did not hold the team accountable all season.
All-Star Ben Simmons, who did not play in the playoffs due to a knee injury suffered in the seeding games, agreed with Richardson’s statement that the team did not have that accountability in order to win.
“100%,” Simmons started with. “I think we didn’t know where we were going to get a bucket, who was going to get us a bucket. From that to [not] knowing where we needed to be at in certain times, people being held accountable for certain things, whether it’s a minor thing, it all plays a part. He definitely was right. We weren’t in a position to go into that bubble and win. I think our mindset was off and accountability is a huge part of winning.”
Bringing in a new coach in Doc Rivers who brings in a certain level of respect with the resume that he has, there is a new sense around the team moving forward. Rivers and Simmons actually discussed what went wrong with the bubble and they talked about the teams that went deep into the playoffs at Disney World.
“You can’t just come into a situation like the bubble if guys aren’t ready and have that chemistry and accountability already,” the star players continued. “Doc and I have spoken about it. You can tell the teams that were doing well in the bubble were tight-knit and were held accountable for certain things going on.”
Simmons then pointed to Rivers’ former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and all of the drama that has come out since his departure. He also pointed at himself suggesting that he was not held accountable under Brown in the past.
“You’re seeing it with the Clippers now, things that are coming out, same with us,” he added. “Guys that weren’t held accountable, that’s myself included. You really seen it with the Lakers. The Heat were playing well, they’re a tight-knit group, Celtics were playing well, and it shows. Especially in the bubble.”
That then brings up the question of the Clippers specifically, if it’s happening with them right now and they were just playing under Rivers, then who’s to say it won’t happen in Philadelphia?
“It comes down to players,” the All-Star added. “There’s only so much that can happen with players and coaches and that’s on the players to make sure they’re held accountable. If they’re not going to listen to certain things, then they’re not going to win. I think it’s a great opportunity for us being younger guys to have somebody like Doc come in so we got to get it done.”
With training camp underway, Simmons is beginning to already notice a difference under Rivers that was not there under Brown. There appears to be a serious tone in order to forget about the rough 2019-20 season.
“I think bringing Doc and all these guys in, and Doc’s team with all these coaches around, the maturity has risen with the team,” Simmons added. “I think it’s been great to see that and see guys be accountable for certain things and come in here ready with a different mindset.”
When the season begins on Dec. 22, it will be up to Simmons to lead the way and get the team back on the right track following a tough season. [lawrence-related id=39829,39810,39807]