The Philadelphia 76ers are now firmly entrenched in the NBA season, but Tuesday provided some non-NBA news as it was announced that head coach Brett Brown would be named the coach of Australia’s national team, leading it in the 2020 Olympics.
While that’s great news for Brown, the announcement could have some implications for the Sixers. As you probably know, Sixers’ star Ben Simmons is an Australian and was slated to play for the national team in last summer’s FIBA World Cup before pulling out to focus on his training for the upcoming NBA season.
So, it’s fair to wonder if Simmons’ decision on whether to participate in the 2020 Olympics serves as a barometer for his relationship with his head coach.
On the surface, it would seem that Simmons would be thrilled to join his NBA coach with an opportunity to represent his country at the Olympics. You would think that giving Brown the position would help to entice Simmons to play, and it’s hard not to believe that line of thinking didn’t play a role in the Australian’s decision making.
All indications are that the relationship between Simmons and Brown is a good one, and one would think that the scenario described above will come to fruition.
It’s also worth noting that Simmons indicated he plans on playing in the Olympics when he announced his decision to skip the World Cup.
But what if Simmons still elects not to play?
In fairness, he would have a number of legitimate reasons to not participate. He could cite his health/desire to rest, or, like last summer, choose to focus on preparations for his NBA season. Still, electing not to play would create some speculation about his relationship with his head coach.
There are a lot of factors that will ultimately play into Simmons’ decision, not the least of which is how this Sixers season ultimately plays out and how far into the spring and (hopefully) summer the team plays. A lot can change over the course of an NBA season, and frankly, the team’s play through 13 games has produced more questions than answers.
Regardless, Sixers fans will be keeping a close eye on Simmons’ decision regarding the Olympics next summer. If he elects not to play, expect the speculation to run wild. [lawrence-related id=19539,19486,19418,19363]