Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is one of the more unique players in the game as he is a guy who will continue to create open looks for his teammates on the offensive end due to the attention he receives. The Sixers miss that when he is not out there.
They will also miss his versatility and his elite defense. In Thursday’s 124-117 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Sixers missed Simmons and they struggled mightily on the defensive end of the floor. The Bucks shot 73.7% from the floor and they shot 6-for-9 from deep on their way to scoring 40 points in the opening frame. They missed Simmons on that end.
“There are games where, with certain guys, when they miss, it shows,” said coach Doc Rivers. “This is clearly one of those nights where you can pick the one night you need Ben and it would always be against Milwaukee, because it gives us the same versatility that it gives them.”
The versatility that Simmons offers is on par with what Giannis Antetokounmpo offers Milwaukee, with less scoring, of course. They are both great defensive players, they have great size, and they stuff the stat sheet.
Philadelphia will hopefully have Simmons back for the second game with the Bucks on Saturday. He did not make the initial trip to Milwaukee so it does remain if he can play.
“I don’t know,” said Rivers. “So we’ll see. Right now, I would say 50/50, at best, and I’m an optimist, but I don’t know.”
Simmons is currently dealing with an illness that is not related to COVID, but it is obviously bothering him more than initially thought.
“Clearly, it’s more serious than that,” Rivers finished. “It’s not serious where he’s gonna miss a lot of games, but it’s more serious than we hope for because he’s still missing games. We just need him to get well.”
The Sixers and the Bucks clash again on Saturday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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