After losing in Game 7 in Philadelphia, Rivers could not immediately answer whether he believed Ben Simmons could become the point guard of the winning team. This is an amazing change from a coach who has defended Simmons vigorously throughout difficult times and good times, and a coach’s discordant acknowledgment of one of his star players.

After a few hours of sleep and a few thoughts about quitting the meeting, Rivers’ face got better. Even though it was ultimately a PR rhetoric to get Simmons to be traded in exchange for something of value this summer, Rivers insisted on Monday afternoon that he believed Ben Simmons.

“I know exactly what we want to do. I am optimistic about Ben, and I am still very optimistic about Ben. But there are jobs, there are, and Ben will be willing to do it. This is the key,” Rivers said on Monday. “Sometimes You have to go through something to see it and treat it honestly. Obviously, what I just experienced, I can’t imagine, because he is great in everything he does, and in my opinion, he can Fix it quickly and get better in the field, which will take him to another level. Sometimes you don’t know why you are in a different place, do you know what I mean? But it may be one of them, and I think This is a huge challenge, but it is definitely a feasible challenge.”

The longer it takes, the less feasible it feels. After Philadelphia lost in the second round of 2018, optimism made sense. This was the first game that Embiid and Simmons completed together in the playoffs. There are many excuses in 2019, when Simmons gave way for a better ball handler and chased Kawhi Leonard in a series of series.But the So far, the third and second round of Simmons’s career has been the cruelest, even exceeding the level predicted by his harshest critics.

The difficult part of finding a way forward for Simmons in Philadelphia is the familiarity with this failure. Rivers has only stayed here for one season, and he thinks this is a spark that should be an improvement.It is undeniable that this is the biggest personal failure so far, and it has fallen to the bottom were able Become the source of turning losses into profits. Great players, including players whom Simmons claims to admire, used humiliation to restart and rebuild, appearing better on the other side.

Rivers believes this is as simple as making the right plan, creating the right environment and working purposefully. Working smarter may be more important than working hard.

Rivers said on Monday: “I believe that there is no need to elaborate on what we are doing. I believe that we know what the right job is, the right type of work, and the right way of working.” “You can always do this work, but If you don’t do it in the right way and the right type of work, you may not be able to improve. After working here for a year, I really believe that we have determined what and how to do it. Now we have to do the’do’ part, we have to Do it hard. This will not be an easy job, but it is definitely work that could have been done.

“I think some things are obvious, you know, we are not hiding that we have to be a better free thrower and a more confident free thrower. If this happens, I really believe that many other parts are next to him. Games. I said, if you remember, before the start of the season. The first thing I said is that we have to make him play 10 times a night, and hope to play 10 times a night. And “so we have to put in Work so that he can get there. But if we can get him there, man, his game will reach a different level. “

However, for players whose biggest problem is to give up their duties, how to make a plan? There are enough videos from summer training and pre-match warm-ups to show that Simmons can provide more abilities as a scorer, even if every NBA player looks like a sniper when the lights are off. The need to improve this particular area of ??his game is so obvious that any conversation about his game is overwhelmed. Knowing where the problem is does not help him become better offensively, and trying to figure out all this under increasing pressure seems to be the worst thing for people who admit to dealing with mental problems.

If only work is needed, Simmons should flash more now.Simmons collaborates with Chris Johnson, a famous skills trainer who is about to enter the 2019-20 season Public details It was Simmons’ offseason exercise plan. Johnson claimed that Simmons spends six days a week in the gym and participates in multiple skills training sessions a day, focusing on shooting. It is worth noting that Johnson also chose to laugh at anyone who has the courage to criticize Simmons’s game state, emulating Rivers and Simmons in a pattern that emerges over time.

It takes the whole village to do this, in case The 76ers really believe they can do this. “Accountability” is a buzzword in the 2020 offseason, and Rivers’ work there has been mixed at best. The team’s day-to-day stability proves that he has made a difference as a leader, but his method of coaching Simmons eventually backfired and made Rivers another miserable defeat in the playoffs. From the sound point of view, “culture” may be a buzzword in the offseason of 2021.

Rivers said on Monday: “Pain must drive you, but the will to win must drive you more.” “Pain is a necessary sin, and sometimes you have to go through to land smoothly. The will to win must drive you to do more. The right thing. These are some of the issues that we still have to solve, this team and the culture of this team. Teaching, not only the players but even the off-court staff, is driving the entire organization. Everyone must be involved. . For me, this is where we have to constantly strive to improve, and the more we improve around them, the more they can do on their own.”

As many of his teammates and coaches are happy to notice, it is unfair to judge Simmons’ lowest moment, and it is unfair to blame Simmons and Simmons for the second round failure. Danny Green’s absence caused Philadelphia to lose in the second round of the game against the Eagles. He did his best to protect Simmons from becoming a scapegoat for Philadelphia’s defeat, implying that it was hidden in obvious problems.

Green said: “I know what he experienced alone this year is very heavy and difficult for him.” “We win and lose together. But mentally, you know, we encourage him, I think we are just in the gym. Li speaks to him, constantly in his ears, building confidence in him. He is usually a mentally strong child. We don’t know what happened. This happened to the players. He is still a young player. He is still a young player. He can still grow; he still has a lot of room to realize his great potential. But yes, it’s been a lot this year, and it’s not his fault that we lost.”

Presumably the “things he has experienced” is something I can’t do. Earlier this season, family issues were made public to the public, which coincided with Simmons’ absence in the middle of the season. When Simmons talked about the games in the past few months, it was a topic that no one cares about, and it is unfair to ask him to “solve” or collapse for the public. He is a public figure, but he still has the right to enjoy a private life.

At least that sounds good in theory. Rivers is both a player and a coach in this league. He realized that his players were humans before they became basketball players, and it was easy to bring issues unrelated to their jobs to the office. Rivers admitted on Tuesday that the family dispute must have arisen in conversations with their point guard this season.

“Players are real people. They have real lives, they have real things happening. I have never dealt with public affairs that had to be dealt with with my family,” Rivers said. “But I will say that if I have to do this, it will affect me in some way. I can’t tell you if it affects him on the court, I don’t know. I only know that it will affect me in some way. I, I don’t know how… people have experienced similar things or other things, and it’s amazing that some people can put it in the cubicle, and some can’t.”

“As a coach, your job is to teach those who do not do well to do it well. Because, you know, I believe you have been working for many days. It may be that your family life may not be a good day. This is only part of it, but you still have to try to find a way to do your best job. This is only for the athletes, it’s open, and it’s much more difficult. It’s for the players now than me It’s harder when playing football.”

Regardless of whether the demons Simmons is dealing with are basketball-related or other aspects, as long as he is a member of this organization, the 76ers have a responsibility to help him solve these problems.You fan may no longer believe him. I, a media person, has already expressed his opinion. My doubts about Simmons It’s been a while. At this point, the 76ers are probably the most suspicious of all of us.

We will soon discover whether Rivers is selling us a false bill of goods, or whether he really believes what he is selling.

Follow Kyle on Twitter: @Kyle newback