76ers’ Head Coach Makes Strong Case For Why Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris Should Make it to The All-Star Team

Published 02/22/2021, 10:30 AM EST

Everybody is eagerly waiting for The All-Star reserves list. While there was some difference in opinion about who should make it to the starters in the All-Star Game, there are also some convincing arguments for the reserves. In fact, Doc Rivers, who, along with the 76ers staff, will be coaching Team Durant, strongly believes that Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris deserve to be in the reserves.

The players of top teams should get some weightage

The reserves are picked by the league’s coaches and usually, the criteria for picking the players is their individual performance. However, Rivers doesn’t agree with that.

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He feels that the team’s record should also play a role in the selection. Thus, he confessed that he would be disheartened if Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris are not named in the All-Star team.

Rivers justified his stance and said, “I think anybody can get numbers on a bad team. Somebody’s got to score, you know. But I think it’s hard to play well on a good team. Much harder. I don’t think people give that enough love.

“We asked players on championship teams to sacrifice shots, pass the ball, play defense, you know just do some many thing to contribute to winning. And that always affects your numbers. Your numbers aren’t going to be as good, but your team wins.

“Tobias can get the same number anywhere and bigger numbers if he was on a bad team,” he said. “But what he is going in winning basketball. I think him and Ben should get more credit.”

The two 76ers’ stars

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Both Harris and Simmons have played an integral role in getting Philly their 20-11 record so far. Tobias is having one of the best seasons of his decade-old career. He is averaging a career-high 20.6 points, 3.4 assists, and 0.8 blocks per game.

On the other hand, Simmons is sacrificing his game to be a multi-faceted player for them. Whether it is being a point guard, center, or forward, his chemistry with Joel Embiid has skyrocketed. Although, the consequence for this is that he is averaging a career-low 15.2 points with 8.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists.

From the Philadelphia 76ers, Embiid has been voted as a starter for the fourth straight season. Even Simmons was part of the All-Star reserve list in the past two seasons. One can only hope that does not change.

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Written by:

Yashima Bhatia is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports who specialises in providing nuanced predictions and updates for matches. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication. Yashima's love for playing the game came up at a young age, when the excitement of the games coupled with the intensity of the Playoffs had her hooked.

76ers’ Head Coach Makes Strong Case For Why Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris Should Make it to The All-Star Team

The players of top teams should get some weightage

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The two 76ers’ stars