The Philadelphia 76ers are entering a new era as they welcome Doc Rivers in as the 25th head coach in franchise history. He takes on a very talented roster, but one that has some flaws to it. Especially when it comes to the franchise cornerstones.
Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are two of the top players this game has to offer. Both of them are All-Stars and they are guys who can take the game over in a variety of ways. However, Simmons refuses to shoot the ball outside of the paint and Embiid gets criticized for not being in shape enough. That is what is holding the team back a bit despite their success on the floor.
The hope is that Rivers will come in and hold these guys accountable and Sixers legend Charles Barkley says now is the time for the two of them to take the next step. He joined Dan Patrick on The Dan Patrick Show and had this to say about Simmons and Embiid:
It’s going to depend on Joel and Ben, those guys got to get their crap together. I like both of them as people but it’s time for them to grow up. Right now they’re All-Stars, it’s time to be superstars. We got to make sure Joel’s got to get in shape. We give you $167 million, we shouldn’t be worried about your conditioning. We still shouldn’t be wondering if a guy can shoot, or if a guy’s gonna get in shape, if I just gave him $170 million last two years. It’s time for them to grow up and be better than All-Stars, but they got so much talent, and they really nice kids, both of them, but it’s time for them to grow up.
Barkley has not been quiet when it comes to his criticism of the Sixers calling them out after their Round 1 sweep in this season’s playoffs. He does have a point here as both players do need to eventually take the next step to lead the franchise to a title and that is where Rivers will come in. The hope is that he will help them get to that point that they were not able to under Brett Brown. [lawrence-related id=38203,38200,38192]