If it was up to Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers, there would be absolutely no need to vote for this season's Defensive Player of the Year Award. According to the longtime NBA head coach, who is currently in the midst of his first year in the “City of Brotherly Love,” Sixers point guard Ben Simmons should be a “lock” to claim thean honor this time around.
“Ben Simmons is a lock for DPOY. He guards every position. He’s everywhere. He literally at times swallows players,” Rivers said during an appearance on ESPN's ‘The Jump.'
.@DocRivers dropped by #TheJump, so we brought @PaulPierce34 and @KendrickPerkins in to grill their old coach – we talked Sixers, Joel Embiid's injury, old Celtics stories, plus…wheelchairs. (Hey, Doc brought it up 😂) pic.twitter.com/2dBdQ61sWP
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) March 16, 2021
When Ben Simmons is on the court for Doc Rivers and the Sixers, Philadelphia allows 107.9 points per 100 possessions. Although that number would typically seem a bit high, today's NBA features much higher-scoring games with offenses exploding on a nightly basis. Individually, Simmons is currently averaging 1.6 steals and 3.8 deflections per game, with the latter statistic serving as a league-best mark as it currently stands.
The 25-year-old Simmons is also averaging an even 16.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game in 2020-21. With MVP candidate and Sixers big man Joel Embiid expected to miss an extended period of time due to yet another significant injury, Simmons will need to take on an even larger role for Rivers and company if the surging franchise is going to remain atop the Eastern Conference.
The Sixers presently own the best record in the Eastern Conference at an impressive 27-12.
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